George Elbert Burr, born Monroe Falls, - Untitled (Lily, Daisy, Hibiscus) - 1889 - T-Shirt

A graphite pencil study from 1889 that sets three kinds of flower side by side across a pale sheet, drawn with the precision of a working naturalist.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is almost entirely off-white paper and soft graphite grey, with darker accents reserved for the deepest shadows. A tall, slender spike rises nearly the full height of the page on the left, its upper stem dotted with small buds and five-petalled blooms. In the centre, two lilies stand on separate stems: one face-on, with spotted, recurved petals and projecting stamens, the other more upright, with narrow leaves running up its stalk. At lower right, a loose cluster of daisy-like heads, with radiating rays and round centres, rises among small buds. The three groups read as a sequence rather than a single bouquet.

Meaning & Symbolism

Burr was an American artist active in the late nineteenth century, and this sheet belongs to his body of flower studies from the period. Its fine modelling of petal, leaf and stem follows the observational habits of naturalist drawing, in which flowers were recorded accurately for study and reference. The lilies, with their striking spotting and sweeping petals, were prized garden flowers of the time, while the flatter daisy forms offer a contrast of simpler structure. The tall spike gives the composition its vertical reference, turning the sheet into a comparison of botanical forms.

Calm Study, Close Looking

This is a drawing built for close looking, and a T-shirt puts that detail on the body where it can be seen up close. The spotted lily and the fine pencil stems hold their character at reading distance, so the design rewards a second glance. The pale ground and quiet graphite lines sit easily across the chest, letting the study keep its original calm and precise tone.