USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Collection

Identifier: MS0184

Staff Only

USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

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Content Description

The USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection contains approximately 7,000 watercolor paintings of fruit and nut specimens received by the U.S. Department of Agriculture from growers and plant explorers. The paintings were created by artists employed by the USDA Division of Pomology from 1888 to the 1930s. Credit information was written by the artist on each watercolor, and typically includes the name of the property owner, county, city, and state or country where the specimen was grown. Many of the specimens were grown in Maryland. The collection also includes 85 wax models of various fruits.

Dates

Creation: 1888-1939

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Organizational History

In 1887, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Division of Pomology began hiring artists to illustrate fruit varieties for lithographic reproduction in USDA articles, reports, and bulletins. Use of color lithography in publications conveyed critical information by helping farmers to visualize crop characteristics, as well as the effects of diseases, pests, and storage methods. The first staff artist to illustrate fruits for the Division of Pomology was William Prestele.