The Old Apple Tree 

Robert Julian Onderdonk created "The Old Apple Tree," a painting capturing a serene moment in what feels like a bygone era. Onderdonk, a Texas impressionist, often depicted the landscapes and scenes of the early 20th century. Here, we see figures that echo the leisure of the turn of the century. A lady arranges what looks like a picnic as a young girl, perhaps her daughter, climbs the apple tree. The whiteness of their dresses contrasts with the green of the grass and the dark bark. The innocence and leisure here can also remind us of the social and racial hierarchies of the time. Who would have been excluded from this scene? Who served the people in the painting? What histories are not being told? The painting captures a moment of peace but asks us to reflect on who gets to experience such moments and what might lay beyond the surface of the image.