Autumn Sunshine
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Autumn Sunshine” now? Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 5A, Washington, D.C. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
Washington, D.C., United States
RoomLuce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 5A
Closed· opens at 11:30 AM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
George Cochran Lambdin painted this work while living in Philadelphia's Germantown section,an area famed in the late nineteenth century for its gardens. Lambdin turned his attention to paintings of flowers in 1870, probably inspired by the English Pre-Raphaelites, who believed that a closer study of nature resulted in paintings that were more spiritually truthful. In Autumn Sunshine, Lambdin did not use the traditional composition of a vase of flowers on a tabletop. Instead, his painting of potted plants on the floor of a greenhouse captures the flowers as they are still growing, creating a more natural image. The soft tones of yellow and pink emphasize the delicate texture of the chrysanthemum's petals, while the dead leaves, together with the thin vine in the background, enhance the feeling of having captured a fleeting moment in nature.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1978.68
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
