Tree Branch
Medium
nature studies
Classification
nature studies
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Henrietta Haller
Accession Number
1904-16-332
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Tree Branch** (1880) by Robert Blum, an American artist (1857–1903), offers a captivating glimpse into the artist's practice of nature studies. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Smithsonian Collection—thanks to the generous gift of Henrietta Haller work captures the intricate details of a single tree branch, showcasing Blum's precise observation of the natural world. Created during a pivotal era in American art, when and direct-from-nature sketching were foundational to artistic training, it reflects the late 19th-century emphasis on empirical study. Nature studies like this o...