Shulgold, William (1897-1989) Straw Flowers

Name/Title

Shulgold, William (1897-1989) "Straw Flowers"

Entry/Object ID

2025.900.FA18270

Tags

Oil Painting

Description

A slanted table has a vase filled with dried flowers ranging from colors of orange, yellow, purple and one single white flower. Behind the vase is a heavier fabric draping around all the objects on the table. The objects include a goblet swaddled in the fabric to the left of the vase, a book in front of the vase and a bowl of pears and grapes to the left of the vase. The warm colors and the focus of the flowers in the middle of the painting make the painting feel autumnal. Which leads to the feeling that the flowers symbolize the end of autumn and the beginning of winter as the flowers seem to have been collected and dried and therefore been in the vase for a while.

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Collection

Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP Collection

Made/Created

Artist

Shulgold, William Robert

Date made

1935 - 1940

Dimensions

Height

24 in

Width

20 in

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Poor

Date Examined

Aug 1, 2025

Notes

2+ scratches on vase/above signature, 1 hole bottom left, stains and spatter

Recommendations

requires cleaning and repairs for stains and holes

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project (1930s–1940s), this collection of easel paintings was originally installed at the Mount Morris Tuberculosis Sanitorium in Livingston County, New York. Following the sanitorium’s closure in 1970, the artworks were abandoned and remained in storage until their rediscovery decades later. Now preserved and exhibited by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), the collection is housed at the New Deal Museum in Mount Morris. Current efforts include digitization, high-resolution photography, and the creation of an online archive to ensure long-term public access and research availability.

General Notes

Note Type

Cataloging Note

Note

See the entry titled 'New Deal Collection' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.