Royal Charles Steadman, oliva, 1917, (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)

Tesori d’archivio: acquerelli di un secolo fa che ritraggono tutti i tipi di frutta

Le vecchie stampe a tema naturalistico hanno sempre un certo fascino.
Te li immagini quegli artisti, chini sui loro fogli, di fronte a una mela bacata o a un arancia color del sole, a una cascata d’uva che profuma d’autunno o a una noce che assomiglia a un cervello, cercando di ritrarre ogni bozzo, ogni polposa asperità e succoso anfratto, avendo ben chiaro lo scopo ultimo: non l’arte bensì lo studio e la classificazione.

Di stampe del genere in rete ne circolano molte ma recentemente la Biblioteca Agricola Nazionale del Dipartimento di Agricoltura degli Stati Uniti ha messo in rete migliaia di immagini provenienti dagli archivi pomologici (la pomologia è quella disciplina che classifica i frutti in base a dimensioni, colore della buccia, tempi di maturazione, ecc.).
Si tratta di acquerelli realizzati tra la fine dell’800 e i primi del ‘900 da un gruppo di artisti—poco più di venti—che pazientemente si è messo a disegnare decine e decine di specie e varietà di frutta. Soprattutto mele, di cui hanno messo online quasi 4000 illustrazioni (a seguire le pesche, 959; le pere, 446; le prugne, 354; mentre per esempio mandarini e kiwi ne hanno soltanto una ciascuno).

L’archivio puoi navigarlo a partire da qui, sfogliando una dopo l’altra le centinaia di pagine, oppure filtrando la ricerca in base all’anno, all’autore, al nome comune o scientifico del frutto, alla sua provenienza geografica.
Tutte le immagini si possono scaricare anche in alta risoluzione, in modo da poterle utilizzare (penso che i graphic designer e chi fa collage ne saranno entusiasti) o stampare e appendere al muro.

Ellen Isham Schutt, mela, 1914,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, mela, 1914,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, pera, 1914,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, pera, 1914,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, uva, 1910,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, uva, 1910,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
James Marion Shull, foglie di melo, 1911,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
James Marion Shull, foglie di melo, 1911,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Deborah Griscom Passmore, uva, 1905,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Deborah Griscom Passmore, uva, 1905,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Amanda Almira Newton, noce, 1911,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Amanda Almira Newton, noce, 1911,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, melograno, 1920,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, melograno, 1920,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Deborah Griscom Passmore, mora, 1904,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Deborah Griscom Passmore, mora, 1904,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, fragola, 1911,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, fragola, 1911,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Amanda Almira Newton, arancia, 1915,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Amanda Almira Newton, arancia, 1915,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, pesca, 1918,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, pesca, 1918,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, limone, 1910,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Ellen Isham Schutt, limone, 1910,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, oliva, 1917,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, oliva, 1917,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
James Marion Shull, ramo di fico, 1923,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
James Marion Shull, ramo di fico, 1923,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Bertha Heiges, fico, 1897,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Bertha Heiges, fico, 1897,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Deborah Griscom Passmore, caco, 1905,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Deborah Griscom Passmore, caco, 1905,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Deborah Griscom Passmore, prugna, 1898,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Deborah Griscom Passmore, prugna, 1898,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, avocado, 1915,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, avocado, 1915,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, cocomero, 1916,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Royal Charles Steadman, cocomero, 1916,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
James Marion Shull, banana, 1919,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
James Marion Shull, banana, 1919,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Amanda Almira Newton, mango, 1910,  (fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
Amanda Almira Newton, mango, 1910,
(fonte: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705)
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