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Wilton Lockwood - Peonies, about 1913

Wilton Lockwood (Wilton, Connecticut, 1862 - 1914, New York)

Peonies, about 1913

Oil on canvas , 60 x 71 cm (23 5/8 x 27 15/16 in.)

Commentary

While violets were Isabella's favorite flowers, peonies must have been a close runner-up. She cultivated the pretty plants in her extensive gardens at her home in Brookline and won first prize from the Massachusetts Historical Society for her "vase of [peony] blooms on long stems, arranged for effect."

Her enthusiasm for peonies even informed the artists she patronized. Wilton Lockwood cultivated peonies on Cape Cod, and his paintings of the flowers became his most popular subject. Isabella purchased this painting in 1914 at a Boston art gallery, and it was later exhibited at the Worcester Art Museum, along with 27 other Lockwood paintings (12 entitled Peonies).

In Massachusetts, peonies typically bloom in June. Thanks to this purchase, Isabella enjoyed peonies year-round.