Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

In early February 1929, Burchfield met Edward and Grace Root at their home in Clinton, NY, on the campus of Hamilton College. The Root Homestead, as the house was called, was surrounded by trees, including a majestic Norway Spruce. Edward’s father, Elihu Root, playfully referred to the tree as “Mother Britannia” and the seedlings around it the “Commonwealth.” Burchfield was much taken by it and enthused in a letter to the Roots:

That wonderful pine tree! I really would like to make a painting of that some time. I believe it would appeal to me most in March or early April, when there is apt to be little snow, but before there is any new life – only spring seems to be in the offing – you know the season. 

Burchfield created this watercolor on a return visit and gave it to the Roots as a gift.