Pansies
Fidelia Bridges, American, 1834 - 1923
about 1875
Graphite on wove paper
Sheet: 6 3/4 × 5 11/16 in. (17.1 × 14.5 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through a gift from the Estate of David Hull, Class of 1960
D.2003.5
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
19th century
Object Name
Drawing
Research Area
Drawing
Not on view
Inscriptions
Not signed.
Label
Fidelia Bridges became well known for her delicately detailed flower paintings, watercolors, and drawings in the latter part of the 19th century. As evident in Pansies, Bridges specialized in relaying the smallest details, balancing scientific accuracy with aesthetic beauty. This study might have been developed in preparation for an illustration for Louis Prang’s 1889 publication, Flower Fancies, which paired flowers with poems written by Alice Ward Bailley.
From the 2024 exhibition Beyond the Bouquet: Arranging Flowers in American Art, curated by Michael Hartman, Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art
Exhibition History
Marks of Distinction: Two Hundred Years of American Drawings and Watercolors from the Hood Museum of Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 29-May 29, 2005.
Publication History
Barbara J. MacAdam, Marks of Distinction, Two Hundred Years of American Drawings and Watercolors from the Hood Museum of Art, Manchester, Vermont: Hudson Hills Press, 2005, ill. p. 229.
Provenance
George C. Lay (friend of the artist); to Dowing Lay (son); to Oliver I. Lay (son); to George C. Lay (grandson) [owner in 1999]; Melissa Williams (dealer), Columbia, Missouri; sold to Paul W. Worman (dealer), New York, New York; sold to present collection, 2003.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu