Pansies

Fidelia Bridges, American, 1834 - 1923

Share

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