Born into America’s premier artistic family of the time, Raphaelle Peale is acknowledged by many to be the first painter in the United States to specialize in the genre of still life. Peale is most known for painting intimately-scaled pictures of fruit, dessert, and other foodstuffs on tables placed invitingly close to the viewer’s space, which were meant to inspire contemplation of the senses. Such works would typically hang in the dining rooms where food was consumed. Fresh fruit was expensive for urban patrons, and owning a painted still life depicting such luxuries signified economic status.

In this visually striking composition, Peale captured an accurate likeness of the blackberry, a notoriously wild plant that is difficult to tame. Rendering each individual berry with meticulous precision, he preserved the fruit in a fixed state—allowing the subject’s perfection to endure long after its model has withered.