Who painted Cypress Bough?

Cypress Bough was painted by Mary Russell Smith in 1857.

Where can I see Cypress Bough?

Cypress Bough is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Cypress Bough?

Cypress Bough is associated with American Folk Art.

Artwork

Cypress Bough

Mary Russell Smith , 1857

Cypress Bough is a watercolor work on paper by the American Folk Art artist Mary Russell Smith. It dates from 1857 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 2007.476.2
Credit line: Gift of Judith F. Hernstadt, 2007

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The piece functions as a detailed naturalistic observation, emphasizing the formal qualities of the cypress bough itself as the primary iconographic element.

Mary Russell Smith's 1857 work Cypress Bough is a landscape study that focuses exclusively on a branch of the cypress tree (genus Cupressus). Rather than presenting a broad panoramic view, the composition isolates this specific botanical subject, rendering its foliage and structure in watercolor and gouache on paper. The piece functions as a detailed naturalistic observation, emphasizing the formal qualities of the cypress bough itself as the primary iconographic element.

By centering the artwork on this single vegetative fragment, the painting represents a focused engagement with plant life characteristic of mid-19th-century American botanical and landscape interests.

Technique & Style

Mary Russell Smith painted Cypress Bough in 1857 using watercolor and gouache on paper. The work measures 37.1 cm in height and 52.4 cm in width, portraying a cypress tree. It is classified as a landscape within The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The surface is paper, handled as a delicate support typical of water-based media, and the formal composition emphasizes the vertical thrust of the cypress against a muted background. The painting’s stylistic handling reflects mid‑nineteenth‑century American landscape sensibilities, with subtle tonal modulation and precise botanical detail.

History & Provenance

The work was painted in 1857 by Mary Russell Smith as a study of Mediterranean cypress rendered in watercolor and gouache on paper.

It entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains held. The painting’s dimensions are 37.1 cm in height and 52.4 cm in width.

The watercolor and gouache painting is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is recorded as accession 1975.1.218.

The work was included in the exhibition “American Watercolors and Pastels, 1800–1950,” held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from October 21, 1986 to January 4, 1987.

Overview

Created in 1857, Mary Russell Smith’s work titled Cypress Bough is executed in watercolor and gouache on paper. The composition is dominated by a solitary cypress branch that stretches across the surface, set against a muted sky. The piece is part of the American Wing collection, representing a modest yet focused study of natural form rather than a sweeping landscape.

Artist & collection

Artist

Mary Russell Smith

Mary Russell Smith (1842–1878) was an artist.

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art

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