Study of a Fern
In the mid-1850s, many of the Hudson River School painters, encouraged by their leader, Asher B. Durand, fell under the spell of the English critic John Ruskin. Ruskin’s “Modern Painters” set a new standard of naturalism based not on the stagelike compositional strategies of the classical landscape, but on the fastidious pictorial replication of nature’s details. Studies like this example have their counterpart in those of other American Ruskinians such as William Trost Richards and are among Shattuck’s most attractive works (see also 65.280.2).
Artwork Details
- Title: Study of a Fern
- Artist: Aaron Draper Shattuck (1832–1928)
- Date: ca. 1856
- Culture: American
- Medium: Graphite on white-wove paper
- Dimensions: 2 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (6.7 x 9.5 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Emma Avery Welcher and Amy Ogden Welcher, 1965
- Object Number: 65.280.1
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.