The Cherry Woman

Kent is famous for its cherry orchards. Some sources suggest that when the Romans arrived in Kent, they found wild cherries growing there. Later they introduced sweeter varieties to the county from Europe.

In this watercolour by Kate Greenaway, a woman sells cherries. Greenaway was a Victorian artist and writer known for her children’s book illustrations.

When she was 12, she attended night classes at Finsbury School, a branch of the South Kensington School of Art. The course was based around copying geometrical and botanical designs. Its aim was to train future artisans in the areas of wallpaper, carpet and tile design.

In 1864, she attended the Royal Female School of Art.  For the first time she was able to draw the human figure. In Victorian society it was unacceptable for women to draw the naked figure. Instead, women drew from plaster casts and models dressed in historical and ornamental costume. Kate Greenaway used these methods to study the human figure, but it did not compare with studying from life. She never managed fully to master human anatomy.

Learn more about Kate Greenaway and see other works by her on RAMM’s collections site.

You can buy a high quality print of this work from Art UK.

Visual description: A watercolour scene set on a rural lane lined with brick houses. Underneath a tree, an older woman sits on an overturned wicker basket. Another basket filled with cherries is in front of her. Seven girls of varying ages gather around the woman as she holds up a handful of cherries to show them. They are all dressed in late 19th century clothing, with dresses of various colours and hats and bonnets. In the background, a figure rests their arms on a white fence and watches the scene.