OBJECT OF THE MONTH - FEBRUARY 2005
Pemberton Painting of Cucurbita pepo L. (Pumpkin)
Pemberton painting of Cucurbita pepo L. (common name: pumpkin).
Ida Hrubesky Pemberton, a Denver artist and enthusiastic gardener, created 64 magnificent paintings of medicinal and edible plants between 1934 and 1942. Her paintings have been widely exhibited at museums and botanical gardens throughout the U.S. The pumpkin, is one of the oldest known domesticated plants, with evidence for its human association going back nearly 10,000 years. Pumpkins and other gourds were probably "camp followers" that appeared in middens, and their usefulness as water containers was recognized from the beginning. The artist's eye can help us see the characters that scientists discern.
Learn more about pumpkins and other plants by visiting the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History's Herbarium COLO or find out more about Ida Pemberton and botanical illustration by checking out the book The Healing Plants of Ida Hrubesky Pemberton, which may be purchased in our gift store or online. Many of Pemberton's watercolors can also be viewed at the Botany Section's Pemberton Collection website.
