Name/Title
Preachen, William (1905-1958) "Flower Arrangement"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18244Tags
Oil PaintingDescription
At upper left are the flowers of this still life’s putative title, but it still doesn’t account for the majority of Preachen’s composition. Their bright orange petals activate several objects in a similar tone (fruit, a piece of fabric, a painted ceramic dish); their green leaves are echoed in another piece of fabric, a pear, and painted leaves on the ceramic objects. But arguably the most formative arrangement is modular, grouping the objects in cells that resemble a honeycomb. Wrinkles in the fabric are geometrical rather than naturalistic.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionCondition
Overall Condition
GoodDate Examined
Jul 31, 2025Notes
2+ chips teapot handle, 1 scratch center right of vase on red cloth, 1 hole ornge in bottom right, needs to be recentered in frameRecommendations
requires cleaningProvenance
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 NoteNote
See the entry titled 'New Deal Collection Documents' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.
