Cactus Garden

Inscriptions

Signed, lower left: Paul Sample. Reverse: P.S. Sample, 135 Arroyo Verde Rd., S. Pasedena, Cactus $150(crossed out) $100

Label

Paul Sample (Class of 1920) painted this vibrant prickly pear cactus while living in South Pasadena, California. The small red fruits indicate that the plant just finished blooming, although hints of yellow and orange suggest some leaves might still be flowering. The rustic fence behind the cactus separates it from the greenery rising in the background, implying that this is part of a much larger garden. Living at the time near San Marino, Sample likely painted this canvas in the Huntington Museum’s Desert Garden. Today, this garden is one of the largest and oldest collections of cacti in the world.

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

Beyond the Bouquet: Arranging Flowers in American Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, December 18, 2024 - late 2025.

Provenance

The artist; given to Dartmouth College Library; transferred to present collection, 1983

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Subjects