Lambdin studied in Munich and Paris in the mid-1850s, then concentrated on children’s portraits and sentimental genre scenes, particularly of Civil War soldiers in camp or at home. He made his headquarters in Philadelphia but spent the years from 1868 to 1870 in New York, where he may have met John La Farge, the renowned still life painter. After a brief visit to Europe in 1870, Lambdin returned to Philadelphia and devoted himself to floral pictures. This canvas, one of his most innovative and ambitious, was probably executed during the 1870s in emulation of La Farge’s works. (http://metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11393?rss=1&utm_source=artwork-of-the-day&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rssfeeds)