Artwork Images
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Pink Cyclamen
Object Details
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Date
ca. 1875
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Medium
Transparent and opaque watercolor heightened with gum glaze and graphite on paper
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Dimensions
Image: 13 15/16 x 9 15/16 in.
Sheet: 13 15/16 x 9 15/16 in. -
Inscriptions
Verso:
l.l. in graphite: 65
[removed] white printed label: A.P.F., Inc. \ Framemakers & Conservators \ 601 West 26th Street \ P. \ SHOWROOM \ A. \ 35 East 76th Street \ at the \ Carlyle Hotel \ New York City
[removed] white label: 830064 A. Carter Museum [typewritten] \ Bridges - Pink Cyclamen [typewritten]
[removed] white printed label: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc. \ 743 Fifth Avenue • New York, N.Y. 10022 \ (212) 371-6777 \ [line] \ FB65 [typewritten] \ FIDELIA BRIDGES (1834-1923) [typewritten] \ Pink Cyclamens [underlined and typewritten] \ Watercolor, 14 x 10 inches [typewritten] \ Illustrated, full page (p.35) [typewritten] Fidelia Bridges [underlined and typewritten] \ New Britain Museum Catalogue [typewritten]
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Credit Line
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
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Accession Number
1982.49
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Copyright
Public domain
Object Description
In Bridges’s watercolor, a red clay pot anchors a band of green leaves, topped by delicate pink flowers that sway against an olive-green backdrop. Above and around the pot, traces of pencil underdrawing are evident, indicating that Bridges began with a sketch for a larger, more sprawling plant before arriving at this elegant arrangement.
A founding member of the American Watercolor Society, Bridges specialized in floral still-life paintings, creating works that combine disciplined naturalism with a sense of design informed by Japanese aesthetics. Spare, refined compositions like Pink Cyclamen drew praise from 19th-century audiences, with one critic exclaiming that “Bridges has, one might almost say, invented a branch of art entirely her own, revealing a highly poetic perception of nature and artistic feeling and knowledge.”
—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023).
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Revealed Treasures: Drawings from the Permanent CollectionOctober 21, 2001–February 10, 2002
This exhibition of drawings spanning the 19th and 20th centuries represents the evolution of the medium from preliminary outlines for other artistic media to a modern means of self-expression in its own right.
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The Allure of Paper: Drawings and Watercolors from the CollectionJuly 9–October 9, 2011
This special exhibition showcases one-of-a-kind works on paper never before exhibited together, chronicling the sweeping changes that occurred in American art over the course of nearly 200 years from portraiture and history painting to modernism and abstraction.
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An Expanding Vision: Six Decades of Works on PaperApril 22–August 22, 2021
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Carter, this exhibition revisits key moments in the Carter’s history of collecting works on paper, highlighting the museum’s path to becoming one of the finest collections of American art in the country.
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Drawn to NatureMay 25–September 29, 2024
Organized by the Carter, Drawn to Nature highlights depictions of nature from the Carter’s works on paper holdings from the 18th through the 21st centuries.
Additional details
Location: Off view
See more by Fidelia Bridges
Tags
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How might a work of art based on a natural object compare to a scientific drawing of the same subject?
How do artists use scale and proportion to create a unique composition?
How might artists be inspired both by art movements from the past and those of their own time and culture?
Why do artists follow or break from established traditions?
How has the role of women in the arts changed over time?
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What objects do you see in this painting? How would you describe the objects you see?
What decisions has the artist made about depicting this object? How did the artist paint the objects so that they look so real?
The Pre-Raphaelite approach, with its focus on detail, was a major influence on Bridges’ art. The movement began in 1848 when a group of seven young painters and poets in England banded together against what they felt was an artificial and mannered approach to painting taught at London's Royal Academy of Arts. They advocated for the close study of the natural world and called for paintings that replicated nature in exacting detail.
What do you notice about the size of the object in relation to the overall composition? The object dominates the painting: In some still lifes, the scale of the object is the same as the object in real life. Why?
How would you describe the color used in this painting? Do you think that the color choice is about mood or about the realistic color of the flowers themselves?
Does Bridges give us any clues about the setting in which this flower appears? Why would the artist give us such a nondescript background? What are the benefits of this choice? What are the limitations?
Bridges was interested in painting nature. As her art developed, she focused more on detailed renditions of flowers and birds. Switching from oil to watercolor, she found a medium that worked well for her. She was able to produce works that were visually lyrical—so much so that she was asked to illustrate books of poetry.
Her talents gained her recognition and membership in the National Academy of Design in 1873 and in the American Watercolor Society in 1874.
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All Levels
Students will choose a single object to recreate as a still life. They will consider ideas of scale, proportion, color, and composition, as Bridges did, and apply them to their own work.
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This information is published from the Carter's collection database. Updates and additions based on research and imaging activities are ongoing. The images, titles, and inscriptions are products of their time and are presented here as documentation, not as a reflection of the Carter’s values. If you have corrections or additional information about this object please email us to help us improve our records.
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