Name/Title
The Flower PickerEntry/Object ID
2022.1.7Description
Seated woman picking flowers in a sun-lit field.Type of Painting
EaselArtwork Details
Medium
Oil on CanvasSubject Person
The painting is thought to depict Blacklock’s wife and fellow artist Nellie, née Ellen Eliza Richardson.Collection
Michael J. and Aimee Rusinko Kakos CollectionCataloged By
Ava TineAcquisition
Accession
2022.1Credit Line
Saint Vincent Art & Heritage Collections; Gift of Michael and Aimee Rusinko KakosMade/Created
Artist
William Kay BlacklockNotes
British, 1872-24Dimensions
Height
13-5/8 inWidth
12-1/2 inProvenance
Provenance Detail
Paisnel Gallery, London, Christie’s, London, Aug. 30, 2001, Lot 211Exhibition
Impressionist Legacies, St. Vincent CollegeGeneral Notes
Note Type
Historical NoteNote
Stylistically, Blacklock’s idealized depictions of rural labor and polished portraiture are largely indicative of the waning years of the Victorian Era. However, while many of his works can be categorized by an academic naturalism he learned while studying at the Royal College of Art and the Edinburgh School of Art, The Flower Picker bears the influence of French Impressionism. A young woman gathers wildflowers while kneeling in a wooded clearing. The painting is thought to depict Blacklock’s wife and fellow artist Nellie, née Ellen Eliza Richardson. It is a fitting image as Nellie Blacklock was an accomplished watercolorist known for her floral still lifes. Both artists exhibited regularly at London’s Royal Academy. This work was likely completed when the couple was living at the artist colony of Walberswick between 1912 and 1917. A sunny seaside town located on the Suffolk Coast, Walberswick had attracted several British Impressionists in the mid-1880s who began painting the area from direct observation— a tradition that continues today.Created By
ava.tine@stvincent.eduCreate Date
February 13, 2026Updated By
ava.tine@stvincent.eduUpdate Date
February 20, 2026