Jane Peterson (American, 1876-1965), Zinnias in a Yellow Vase

Oil on canvas (wax lined), signed at lower left, presented in a period frame.

Stretcher size 24 x 20 in.; Frame dimensions 32 x 28 in.

Jane Peterson was an American painter celebrated for her vibrant, modern approach to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Born in Elgin, Illinois, she studied at the Pratt Institute and Art Students League in New York before continuing her training in Europe with artists including Joaquín Sorolla and Frank Brangwyn. An avid traveler, Peterson painted throughout Europe, North Africa, Turkey, and the United States, developing a distinctive style characterized by brilliant color, energetic brushwork, and bold, decorative compositions.

Although Peterson painted landscapes, harbor scenes, and gardens, flowers became an especially important subject later in her career. She referred to these compositions as “flower portraits,” rendering them with expressive color, vigorous brushwork, and a strong sense of form. Her devotion to the subject culminated in the publication of Flower Painting in 1946. A circa 1945–1955 photograph in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art shows Peterson at her easel painting a still life of zinnias, a composition notably similar to the painting offered here.

Faint stretcher marks; reinforced tacking edges; no evidence of restoration or retouch visible under UV light; minor chip to frame.