Vitis - Número Meyers
1908
Imagine needing a hyper-realistic painting of a grape cluster to know what to plant—that was the vital job of Elsie E. Lower. Created in October 1908, this watercolor depicts the 'Meyers' grape variety, with handwritten notes at the bottom pinpointing its origin to a specific row and block in Oakville, Napa County, California. Lower worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, producing thousands of these botanical illustrations to help farmers across the country identify and cultivate fruit varieties before photography was reliable for color printing. The dates '10-9-08' and '10-13-08' reveal she spent nearly a week perfecting the translucent green skin of these grapes, turning a dry scientific record into a beautiful piece of art.
- Technique
- Watercolor
- Material
- Paper
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