Amanda Almira Newton

Amanda Almira Newton (1860–1943), American, Amanda Almira Newton, an American botanical illustrator, made significant contributions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Pomological Watercolor Collection with her detailed watercolors of fruits. Born around 1860, Newton was the granddaughter of Isaac Newton, the USDA's first commissioner, a connection that perhaps influenced her career path. From 1896 to 1928, she dedicated her skills to documenting the burgeoning fruit-producing regions of the United States through her art, at a time when photography was not yet the preferred medium for such documentation. Her prolific output includes over 1200 watercolors, focusing primarily on apples but also capturing a diverse array of other fruits and nuts, some of which were uncommon in the U.S. at the time. Newton's work is characterized by its precision, vibrant lines, and subtle color variations, often featuring whole and halved fruits against plain backgrounds, with occasional inclusions of foliage. Her legacy is preserved in the USDA's collection, where she stands as the second-most prolific contributor, her paintings accounting for approximately one-sixth of the archive's total. Newton's signature, 'A.A. Newton', marks her contributions to this important botanical record, reflecting her role in the intersection of art and agriculture during a pivotal era in American horticulture.