Heirloom Fruit Watercolors

Apples · USDA pomological watercolour

Gem Apple

Historical USDA watercolour of the Gem Apple apple, painted 1873

Gem Apple is a historic fruit cultivar documented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture between 1886 and 1942. A watercolour study of it survives in the collection, with specimens recorded from Missouri, Wright, Mountain Grove, painted by Arnold, Mary Daisy. The paintings served as official botanical identification records before colour photography.

CultivarGem
SpeciesMalus domestica
Common fruitApple
Painted1873
Artist(s)Arnold, Mary Daisy
Specimen originMissouri, Wright, Mountain Grove
CollectionUSDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Plates1

Public domain via the U.S. National Agricultural Library. Plate id: POM00002324.

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