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Hummingbird and Passionflowers

ca. 1875–85
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 760
Heade began painting hummingbirds as early as 1862, but the majority of his compositions date between 1875 and 1885, after his final trip to South America. The particular species of hummingbird represented here is the black-eared fairy Heliothryx aurita, whose habitat is the lowlands of the Amazon basin, as is the passionflower, or Passiflora racemosa. Heade, who was familiar with the scientific writings of Charles Darwin, has conveyed the dualities and interconnectedness between the flora and fauna in this painting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Hummingbird and Passionflowers
  • Artist: Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904)
  • Date: ca. 1875–85
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 20 x 12 in. (50.8 x 30.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Albert Weatherby, 1946
  • Object Number: 46.17
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

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Sketch for "Approaching Thunder Storm", Martin Johnson Heade American, Graphite on off-white wove paper, American
Sketch for "Approaching Thunder Storm"
Martin Johnson Heade
Newburyport Meadows, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Newburyport Meadows
Martin Johnson Heade
ca. 1876–81
Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms
Martin Johnson Heade
1875
Approaching Thunder Storm, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Approaching Thunder Storm
Martin Johnson Heade
1859
Ernesta (Child with Nurse), Cecilia Beaux American, Oil on canvas, American
Ernesta (Child with Nurse)
Cecilia Beaux
1894

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