Gray Ragwort (Senecio canus)

Art Historical Context

Mary Vaux Walcott'sGray Ragwort (Senecio canus)*, in 1920, the delicate beauty of this native North American wildflower with scientific precision and artistic grace. Donated by the artist herself to the Smithsonian American Art, this painting exemplifies Walcott's lifelong passion for blending botany and fine art. A skilled amateur botanist and mountaineer, she created hundreds of such works during expeditions in the Rocky Mountains alongside her husband, Charles Doolittle Walcott, the Smithsonian's secretary. Rendered in watercolor—a medium ideal for translucent floral details—*Gray Ragwort*...