Just one among the many digital resources provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Library, the Pomological Watercolor Collection is a treasure trove for those searching for freely available images of fruits and plants. The collection spans 1886 to 1942, although most paintings are dated between 1894 and 1916. There are close to 7,500 watercolors, including over 3,000 images of apples, painted by approximately 21 artists in the collection. While browsing is limited, it is possible to search by artist name, year, both scientific and common names, and country of origin. Search results are displayed at a lower resolution for online viewing, but higher resolutions can be downloaded. The USDA allows free use of these images, but requires an attribution statement; the text of the statement is provided with each image.
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