The Aesthetics of Agriculture: The Patronage and Politics of the USDA Pomological Illustrations, 1886-1942

FAIN: FT-286288-22

Lauren Marie Freese
University of South Dakota (Vermillion, SD 57069-2307)

Research leading to a book on illustrations commissioned by the USDA Division of Pomology between 1886 and 1942 and their influence on American agricultural production.

The Division of Pomology was created in 1886 as part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to optimize American fruit production. This research and educational unit created 7,584 depictions of hundreds of fruit varietals made by nearly two-dozen artists. At its root, this massive pomological illustration project, which operated from 1886 until 1942, was a nationalistic endeavor to position the United States as a dominant fruit-producing nation. Watercolors, drawings, wax models, and lithographs made or commissioned by the Division of Pomology helped to shape a key agricultural industry while contributing to the appearance and taste of the fruits we eat today. This interdisciplinary analysis, drawing upon both art history and food studies, will situate pomological illustrations made by artists in the Division of Pomology within the contexts of botanical illustration, agricultural technology, USDA policy and regulation, and the American market for orchard fruits.

Associated Products

The Work of Citrus: Elsie Lower Pomeroy and Southern California Citriculture (Article)
Title: The Work of Citrus: Elsie Lower Pomeroy and Southern California Citriculture
Author: Lauren Freese
Abstract: American artist Elsie Lower Pomeroy’s career can be considered in two phases: her precise scientific watercolors of fruit varietals for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and her extensive body of work featuring California life, landscape, and agriculture. A strong interest in agriculture and nature persisted throughout Pomeroy’s varied career and led to her series of five watercolor paintings of the Southern California citrus industry, completed in 1937. Pomeroy leveraged rhythmic abstraction and her knowledge of citriculture to bridge art and agriculture. The series contrasts the dangers of industrial orange cultivation with the economic and culinary upside, especially for the wealthy growers who profited from the labor depicted. Furthermore, while the series incorporates skills and knowledge from the artist’s USDA training, it represents a clear departure from pomological illustration, a genre closely associated with women, in favor of genre scenes that feature revealing portrayals of the danger of industrial citrus.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: http://doi.org/10.1525/ch.2024.101.2.2
Access Model: subscription
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: California History
Publisher: University of California Press

---