Fruit Piece
1860
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
1860
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Fruit Piece is a 1860 oil by Hannah Brown Skeele, a american_folk_art work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
You see a tabletop piled with shiny fruit: bananas, oranges, a pineapple, and neat stacks of sugar cubes. This painting was made in 1860, when American homes wanted pretty pictures of food. The fruit isn’t just local—it’s fancy imports, showing off what wealthy families could buy. The artist, Hannah Brown Skeele, lived in Missouri and painted this for a businessman in Saint Louis. If you like how the light glows on the fruit, look up glazing.
