Vaasje met bloemen en een blauwe vlinder 1800 - 1900

L.W. Garrison created this watercolor painting, "Vaasje met bloemen en een blauwe vlinder," depicting a vase of flowers with a blue butterfly, though we are unable to date it. Still life paintings of flowers like this one enjoyed a surge in popularity during the 18th and 19th centuries across Europe, where they became particularly popular among women artists. What made this genre so appealing? Well, the cultivation and arrangement of flowers were seen as respectable, feminine pursuits. Flower painting thus offered women artists a path to professional recognition at a time when their access to formal training and other genres was limited. The level of artistry in this painting is quite elementary, suggesting that the painting was part of a lesson. Archival research into the artist and their other works might reveal more about the artist's connection to educational institutions and broader networks of female artists who supported each other's creative endeavors.