USDA Strawberry Journal — Arnold & Lower 1910–1912 Watercolor

In the early twentieth century, the United States Department of Agriculture commissioned a corps of botanical artists — most of them women — to paint every significant fruit variety in American cultivation. The result was the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection: over 7,000 illustrations created between 1886 and 1942, a visual archive of varieties that have since largely disappeared from our gardens and markets.

This journal carries two of those paintings. The front cover features Mary Daisy Arnold’s 1912 watercolor of Fragaria: Nanticoke — a luminous depiction of the Nanticoke strawberry, rendered with the precision of a scientist and the eye of a painter. The back cover showcases Elsie E. Lower’s 1910 illustration of Fragaria: Pink Tea — a more delicate variety, its pale berries captured with careful attention to color and form. Both artists worked for the USDA Division of Pomology; both contributed hundreds of paintings to a collection that preserved, in watercolor, what agriculture was quietly losing.

Product Details

• Format: Hardcover journal
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat
• Dimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches
• Weight: 100 g
• Cover: Matte laminated full-wrap print
• Front cover: Mary Daisy Arnold, Fragaria: Nanticoke (1912)
• Back cover: Elsie E. Lower, Fragaria: Pink Tea (1910)
• Source: USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection (1886–1942)

Perfect For

• Strawberry growers and botanical art enthusiasts
• Fruit lovers and berry gardeners
• Agricultural history collectors and USDA illustration fans
• Heirloom variety gardeners and pomology enthusiasts
• Anyone who appreciates early 20th-century American botanical watercolors
• A beautiful gift for those who love strawberries and garden history

The Story Behind the Art

The women who painted these strawberries, the varieties they documented, and the extraordinary USDA project that brought them together — read the full story on our blog →