{"product_id":"strawberry-plant-hardcover-journal-matte-botanical-notebook","title":"USDA Strawberry Journal — Arnold \u0026 Lower 1910–1912 Watercolor","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis journal carries two of those paintings. The front cover features Mary Daisy Arnold’s 1912 watercolor of \u003cstrong\u003eFragaria: Nanticoke\u003c\/strong\u003e — 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 \u003cstrong\u003eFragaria: Pink Tea\u003c\/strong\u003e — 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.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFormat: Hardcover journal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBinding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: 100 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCover: Matte laminated full-wrap print\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFront cover: Mary Daisy Arnold, \u003cem\u003eFragaria: Nanticoke\u003c\/em\u003e (1912)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBack cover: Elsie E. Lower, \u003cem\u003eFragaria: Pink Tea\u003c\/em\u003e (1910)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSource: USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection (1886–1942)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePerfect For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStrawberry growers and botanical art enthusiasts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFruit lovers and berry gardeners\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAgricultural history collectors and USDA illustration fans\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeirloom variety gardeners and pomology enthusiasts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who appreciates early 20th-century American botanical watercolors\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA beautiful gift for those who love strawberries and garden history\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story Behind the Art\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe women who painted these strawberries, the varieties they documented, and the extraordinary USDA project that brought them together — \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/new-old-time\/usda-pomological-watercolor-collection-arnold-lower-strawberry\"\u003eread the full story on our blog →\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LeBonJournal","offers":[{"title":"Journal","offer_id":62820436836721,"sku":"90648032263807942616","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/5367\/0769\/files\/USDA_strawberry_botanical_journal_on_farmhouse_kitchen_table.png?v=1776175483","url":"https:\/\/lebonjournal.com\/products\/strawberry-plant-hardcover-journal-matte-botanical-notebook","provider":"LeBonJournal","version":"1.0","type":"link"}