Tamarind Tree, Jamaica
Medium
nature studies
Classification
nature studies
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Louis P. Church
Accession Number
1917-4-11-c
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Frederic Edwin Church, master of the Hudson River School known for his luminous, detailed landscapes evoking the sublime power of nature, created *Tamarind Tree,* in July 1865. This nature study captures the exotic allure of a tropical tamarind tree during's travels to the Caribbean island, a journey he undertook amid personal tragedy—the recent loss of his young son—and the shadow of the just-ended American Civil War. Church's expeditions often blended artistic pursuit with exploration, bringing the vibrancy of distant locales into American art. As a nature study, likely rendered in oil sket...