Image size of this print is 20 x 32 1/4 with ample margins.

MAGNOLIAS ON A BLUE VELVET CLOTH by Martin Johnson Heade (American 1819-1904) Manoogian Collection.

An artist whose body of work ranges from Victorian floral still lifes, to tropical salt marshes to close examinations of flowers and hummingbirds, he is one of the best known American artists. He lived in various parts of the country including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and St. Augustine, Florida

He was born in rural Pennsylvania and began his career as a portrait painter but changed to landscapes and also did many depictions of hummingbirds, with which he grew to have an obsession. From 1865 to 1875, he did a limited number of elaborate table top still lifes, and very late in his career, did lush botanical still lifes, especially in Florida.

In 1863, he made the first of three trips to South America, first to find subject matter for illustrations on his book on hummingbirds. The book was rejected by publishers, so in the 1870s, he began paintings hummingbirds and orchids together in lush tropical settings. This subject matter was very startling to viewers because it was highly sensual as well as unprecedented. In 1884, twenty years before he died, Heade settled in St. Augustine, Florida, painting seascapes, birds and still lifes, especially magnolias and cherokee roses.

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