Heirloom Fruit Watercolors

Apples · USDA pomological watercolour

Rainbow Apple

Historical USDA watercolour of the Rainbow Apple apple, painted 1882

Rainbow 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 Michigan, Van Buren, South Haven, painted by Lower, Elsie E. b.. The paintings served as official botanical identification records before colour photography.

CultivarRainbow
SpeciesMalus domestica
Common fruitApple
Painted1882
Artist(s)Lower, Elsie E. b.
Specimen originMichigan, Van Buren, South Haven
CollectionUSDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
Plates1

Public domain via the U.S. National Agricultural Library. Plate id: POM00003097.

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