[Green, Elizabeth Shippen] Original Watercolor Painting by Elizabeth Shippen Green

Original Elizabeth Shippen Green Watercolor entitled "Clematis XII." Signed lower right: "ESGE To HC With Love, 1909." This is a full-size watercolor painted and given by Green to her friend and gardener, Henrietta Cozens of Cogslea (residence of J.W. Smith, E.S. Green, Violet Oakley and Cozens in early 1900ís). As per the account of Edith Emerson, friend and eventual curator of Violet Oakleyís estate, Green painted it as a present for Cozens, with a gentle ribbing implied in the title. As the story goes, Cozens, who became quite proficient in her gardening skills for the beautiful estate, at the beginning of her tenure as gardener couldn't quite get the (truncated) names of the flowers straight. So after misnaming nearly a dozen flowers referring to "clematis," Green came up with this painting of lilies and snapdragons and presented it to Henrietta, naming it, sardonically, "Clematis XII," as in, "the twelfth try" at getting the name (or flower) right. The painting is bright and colorful and in pristine condition, measuring 20" x 15 (Inventory #: 437)