Magnolia Blossoms
ca. 1935-1941
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration
Accession Number
1971.447.44
Tags
About this artwork
Josephine Joy grew up on an Illinois farm, where she loved to sketch birds, trees, and flowers. Circumstances prevented her from following her artistic calling until 1927, after her children were grown and her husband had died. Joy lived in California then, and the WPA's California Art Project afforded her the opportunity to work gainfully as an artist. In the 1930s, "non-academic" painters were increasingly celebrated alongside their professional peers. By the early 1940s, Joy was a nationally ...