Bertha E. Jaques, born Covington, OH - Sumac - n.d. - T-Shirt

This is a botanical study of sumac foliage by American printmaker Bertha E. Jaques, drawn with the precise, observant line of an etcher.

Visual Elements & Composition

The composition is built around the plant itself. Sumac leaves and growth habits fill the image, with the intricate structure of each leaf rendered in fine, controlled lines. The work is monochrome and draftsmanlike, so the eye moves from leaf to leaf and follows the way the branches organise themselves. Nothing competes with the plant; the focus stays on its form.

Meaning & Symbolism

Sumac stands for endurance and resilience, and for the turning of the seasons. Jaques chose a native, everyday plant rather than an exotic one, which reflects the wider American printmaking tradition of close attention to local flora and the quiet beauty of ordinary landscapes. Jaques was a co-founder of the Chicago Society of Etchers, and her extensive output of etchings and botanical subjects secured her place in early twentieth-century American printmaking.

Designed for the Tee

A botanical study suits a shirt because the image reads clearly at chest scale, where the leaf structure and branching remain legible from a distance. The print sits on the garment the way the sumac sits in its landscape: a single natural subject, observed closely, worn close to the body.