Palm Tree
Medium
Graphite and gouache on brown wove paper
Dimensions
8 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (22.2 x 10.8 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1973
Accession Number
1973.346.3 recto
Tags
Art Historical Context
Elihu Vedder's *Palm Tree* is a delicate drawing on brown wove paper, blending graphite sketches with vibrant gouache washes. Created by the American artist (1836–1923), who spent much of his career in Italy, this intimate work measures just 8¾ × 4¼ inches, suggesting it originated as a sketchbook study. The warm brown paper provides a natural ground, enhancing the palm's swaying fronds rendered in contrasting whites and greens—a technique that evokes the luminous effects of sunlight filtering through tropical foliage. Vedder, a key figure in American Aestheticism and Pre-Raphaelite circles, ...
About the Artist
Elihu Vedder · 1836–1923
Elihu Vedder was born on February 26, 1836, in New York City to Dr. Elihu Vedder Sr., a dentist, and his cousin Elizabeth Vedder. As a young boy, his family relocated to Cuba for his father's ventures, an experience that sparked his artistic aspirations amid the Caribbean landscapes. He later divided his time between a boarding school and his maternal grandfather Alexander Vedder's home in Schenec...