Malus domestica Landsberg

Ellen Isham Schutt

1907

Malus domestica Landsberg by Ellen Isham Schutt, 1907

Ellen Isham Schutt captured the 'Landsberg' apple in stunning detail for the USDA back in 1907, showing both its blushing red-and-yellow skin and its internal anatomy. These botanical watercolors weren't just pretty pictures; they were crucial scientific records used to identify fruit varieties across America before color photography was reliable. The handwritten notes indicate the specimen came from F.A. Waugh in Amherst, Massachusetts, and took Schutt months to finish—from September 1906 to February 1907. You can almost taste the crispness in that cross-section, complete with the dark seeds nestled in the core.

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