National Museum of African American History and Culture
<I>Violets</I>
Pauline Powell Burns, American, 1872 - 1912 · ca. 1890
At first glance, Pauline Powell Burns’s Violets appears to be a simple painting of fresh-cut flowers. During the Victorian era (1837–1901), however, flowers were assigned a wide range of meanings so that personal feelings and emotions could be expressed without having to say them aloud. The blue violet symbolized watchfulness, faithfulness, and love. Still lifes, particularly of flowers, were popular among 19th-century women artists, and Burns received notable recognition for her talent in this genre.
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