Pyrus communis: Onondaga

Ellen Isham Schutt prints come from the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection, the government's great painted record of American fruit. Between 1904 and 1914 Schutt painted more than 700 watercolours of fruits and nuts, from everyday apples and lemons to mangoes and pomelos. Our collection of fine art prints includes her citrus, avocados, grapes, plums, peaches and apples, each painted with remarkable precision.

About Ellen Isham Schutt

Ellen Isham Schutt was born on 15 April 1873 on the Oak Grove estate in Arlington, Virginia, one of seven children. She grew up in what is now Cherrydale, where her father bought land after the Civil War and became one of the area's founders. In 1906 she built a concrete neoclassical house there called Ellenwood.

From 1904 to 1914 she worked as a botanical illustrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, alongside Deborah Griscom Passmore, Amanda Newton, Royal Charles Steadman and Elsie Lower. She also modelled fruit in wax to show the effects of storage and packing, and drew Mexican cactus specimens for Britton and Rose's study of the cactus family.

From 1911 to 1915 the University of California commissioned her to paint 286 watercolours of apples showing damage from disease, insects and storage, now held at UC Davis. She died at Falls Church, Virginia, on 5 December 1955.

Style and Subjects

Schutt's style is precise and rather dry, so that her watercolours sometimes look more like drawings than paintings. Every bump on a lemon's skin, every speckle on an apple and every vein in a leaf is recorded with care.

Many sheets show a whole fruit with a cut half, and quite a few show damage from mould, insects or other causes, because the pictures were made to help growers and scientists. The fruit sits on plain paper, which gives the prints a clean, modern look.

Famous Works

• Citrus sinensis: Washington Navel (1904–1914), USDA National Agricultural Library. The classic seedless navel orange.
• Citrus grandis: To Yuzu (1904–1914), USDA National Agricultural Library. A large pomelo, one of her more exotic subjects.
• Citrus limon: Eureka (1904–1914), USDA National Agricultural Library. A bright yellow Eureka lemon.
• Persea: Blackman (1904–1914), USDA National Agricultural Library. A dark-skinned avocado.
• Mangifera indica: Ameeri (1904–1914), USDA National Agricultural Library. An Indian mango variety.
• Malus domestica: Spitz Esopus (1904–1914), USDA National Agricultural Library. The old American Esopus Spitzenburg apple.
• Vitis: Pizzutella (1904–1914), USDA National Agricultural Library. A long-berried table grape.

Decorating with Schutt Prints

Schutt's fruit belongs in the kitchen, breakfast nook or dining room. A row of citrus over a counter, or a grid of apples, plums and grapes, brings colour and a gentle farmhouse feel.

Because the backgrounds are plain and pale, the prints also suit bright, modern spaces with white walls and light wood. Matching white, oak or thin black frames help a set read as one piece.

FAQ

Who was Ellen Isham Schutt?

Ellen Isham Schutt (1873–1955) was an American botanical illustrator from Arlington, Virginia, who painted fruit for the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1904 to 1914.

How many watercolours did Schutt paint for the USDA?

More than 700 watercolours of fruits and nuts, now part of the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection.

Where are her original watercolours?

Her USDA paintings are at the USDA National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Maryland. Her series of 286 apple watercolours for the University of California is held at UC Davis.

Why do some of her fruit pictures show damage?

They were made as scientific records. Many show the effects of mould, insects, disease or storage, to help growers identify problems.

Who else painted for the USDA collection?

Her colleagues included Deborah Griscom Passmore, Amanda Newton, Royal Charles Steadman, J. Marion Shull and Elsie Lower.

Related Artists

• Deborah Griscom Passmore: the leading USDA fruit painter of her years
• Amanda Almira Newton: fellow USDA pomological artist
• Royal Charles Steadman: USDA colleague in fruit painting
• Elsie E. Lower: another of the USDA watercolourists