The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 15, 2026

A vertically oriented watercolor depicts a single dahlia blossom against a cream background. Layers of pointed, coral-pink petals radiate from a yellow-orange stippled center at the top. Below, a dark green stem descends, branching into four large, serrated leaves shaded with mottled blue-green tones. The stem curves gently toward the bottom right, while soft, blended washes give the botanical illustration a textured, stenciled appearance.

Dahlia

1800s

Mary Altha Nims

(American, 1817–1907)
America
watercolor
Gift of Richard Seymour Bayham 1934.135
Location: Not on view
  • Henry S. Francis, “Water Colors Made by the ‘Theorem Method’ and Drawings”, The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 21, 1934, pp. 128-131, p. 135. www.jstor.org
  • 19th-Century American Drawings by Mary A. Nims. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 16-November 2, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=Dahlia|url=false|author=Mary Altha Nims|year=1800s|access-date=15 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1934.135