<I>Violets</I>
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1890
name: label: Created by
content: Pauline Powell Burns, American, 1872 - 1912
notes: label: Caption
content: At first glance, Pauline Powell Burns’s Violets appears to be a simple painting of fresh-cut flowers. During the Victorian era (1837–1901), however, flowers were assigned a wide range of meanings so that personal feelings and emotions could be expressed without having to say them aloud. The blue violet symbolized watchfulness, faithfulness, and love. Still lifes, particularly of flowers, were popular among 19th-century women artists, and Burns received notable recognition for her talent in this genre.
label: Caption
content: Born into a middle-class family, Burns was part of a small and vibrant African American cultural and religious community in Oakland, California. In addition to her accomplishments as a visual artist, she was a talented pianist, featured in numerous newspaper articles highlighting her concert appearances.
label: Description
content: This oil painting depicts a cluster of violets against a light gray surface and background. The violets are done is deep navy blues and purples, the blossoms lying in a jumbled heap amidst strands of greenery and a few green leaves. The pile of flowers lies on an off-white surface that gradually fades to grey shadows at the right most edge of the painting.
place: label: Place made
content: Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Agriculture
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2014.42.2ab
objectType: label: Type
content: oil paintings
label: Type
content: still lifes
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public Domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: oil paint on cardboard
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (unframed ): 10 3/4 × 12 3/8 in. (27.3 × 31.4 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (framed ): 12 3/8 × 16 5/8 × 1 in. (31.4 × 42.2 × 2.5 cm)