Untitled (Wild Hazelnut, Corylus Americana)

Art Historical Context

George Elbert Burr's *Untitled (Wild Hazeln, Corylus Americana)* created in 1889, is a captivating drawing that showcases the artist's keen eye for nature's details. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Smithsonian Collection, work focuses on the wild hazelnut (*Corylus americana*), native North American shrub prized for its edible nuts and resilient growth in woodlands and thickets. Through precise lines and subtle shading typical of 19th-century drawings, Burr renders the plant's characteristic leaves, catkins, and nuts, inviting viewers to marvel at its humble beauty. Dating to the late 1880s, the piece reflects a broader cultural fascination with American botany and natural history during an era of exploration and scientific documentation. Drawings like this served as both artistic expressions and studies, bridging fine art with observational science—much like the works of naturalist illustrators. Burr's choice of an untitled format emphasizes the subject itself, allowing the wild hazelnut to stand as a symbol of untamed American flora. This treasured drawing entered the collection through the generous bequest of Carolann Smurthwaite, in memory of her mother, Caroline Atherton Connell Smurthwaite. It reminds us how everyday plants, captured with artistic sensitivity, connect us to the land's quiet wonders. (198 words)

About the Artist

George Elbert Burr · 1859–1939

George Elbert Burr was an American printmaker and watercolorist whose career spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, earning him a reputation as one of the foremost etchers of the American West. Born in 1859 in Monroe Falls, Ohio, Burr trained as a commercial illustrator before turning his full attention to fine art. He honed his craft through diligent self-study and close obser...