Prunus domestica Ragland
1912
Ellen Isham Schutt created this meticulous botanical study in 1912 to document the 'Ragland' variety of plum. Notice how she painted both the whole fruit and a cross-section? That wasn't just for aesthetics; it was crucial scientific data for farmers to identify the pit size and flesh color. These illustrations served as the 'color photographs' of their day, helping agricultural stations catalog thousands of fruit varieties before reliable color photography existed. The handwritten notes at the bottom reveal it was drawn at the Experiment Station in College Park, Maryland, effectively freezing a specific harvest in time for posterity.
- Technique
- Watercolor
- Material
- Paper