Rubus: Lawton

Deborah Griscom Passmore prints show American fruit and wildflowers at their freshest. Passmore led the staff artists of the USDA's Division of Pomology and painted more than 1,500 watercolours of apples, pears, cherries, strawberries, citrus and tropical fruit. Before that, she painted an album of American wildflowers. Our collection of fine art prints includes her fruit and nut studies and all the plates of her wildflower album.

About Deborah Griscom Passmore

Deborah Griscom Passmore was born in 1840 into a Quaker family in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. She trained in Philadelphia at the School of Design for Women and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Before joining the government she painted American wildflowers for a book, Flowers in Water Color: Wildflowers of America, which was never published. The album is now in the USDA National Agricultural Library.

In 1892 she joined the US Department of Agriculture and that same year was made leader of the Division of Pomology's staff artists. Over the next two decades she painted more than 1,500 watercolours and drawings, about one-fifth of the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection. She died in 1911.

Style and Subjects

Passmore's fruit paintings were made as records for growers and scientists, so they are accurate and clear: whole fruit, cut halves, leaves and twigs, shown life-size on a plain white sheet. Yet they are also lovely to look at, with soft shading, glowing skins and careful detail.

Her range was wide, from familiar apples, pears, plums and strawberries to citrus, kumquats, prickly pears and tropical fruit such as the mangosteen. Her wildflower album is looser and more decorative, with American flowers painted in fresh, delicate colour.

Famous Works

• Citrus: Calamondian (1909), USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville. A small citrus fruit; the library keeps a print of it on display in its reading room.
• Rubus: Miller (Raspberry) (1895), USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville. A raspberry variety, also on display at the library.
• Fragaria: Dayton (Strawberry) (1909), USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville. A strawberry variety singled out by Wikipedia.
• Malus domestica: Reinette Gris (Apple) (1900), USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville. A russet apple highlighted by the Linda Hall Library.
• Prunus avium: Lambert (Cherry) (1907), USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville. Deep red sweet cherries.
• Pyrus communis: Kieffer (Pear) (1901), USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville. A pear variety highlighted by the Linda Hall Library.
• Fragaria: Brandywine (Strawberry), USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville. A Pennsylvania strawberry.
• Garcinia mangostana (Mangosteen), USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville. Dark rind and white segments of the tropical mangosteen.

Decorating with Passmore Prints

Passmore's fruit watercolours are made for the kitchen, breakfast nook and dining room. Hang a row of apples, pears and cherries in light wood frames, or a grid of strawberries and raspberries for a fresh, summery look. Citrus and tropical fruit bring bright colour to a modern kitchen.

Her wildflower album plates suit bedrooms, living rooms and hallways, and look charming in simple white or pale wood frames with wide mounts.

FAQ

Who was Deborah Griscom Passmore?

Deborah Griscom Passmore (1840–1911) was an American botanical illustrator who led the staff artists of the USDA Division of Pomology from 1892.

What is the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection?

A collection of watercolours of fruit and nut varieties painted for the US Department of Agriculture. Passmore painted about one-fifth of it, more than 1,500 works.

Where can I see Passmore's watercolours?

The USDA National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Maryland, holds her fruit watercolours and her wildflower album. Prints of her Calamondian orange, Miller raspberry and Steptoe plum hang in its reading room.

What was her wildflower album?

Flowers in Water Color: Wildflowers of America, a book of American wildflowers she painted before joining the USDA. It was never published.

Where did she train?

In Philadelphia, at the School of Design for Women and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Related Artists

• Amanda Almira Newton: fellow USDA pomological artist
• Ellen Isham Schutt: fellow USDA pomological artist
• Royal Charles Steadman: later USDA pomological artist
• Mary Daisy Arnold: fellow USDA pomological artist