# Plums

**John William Hill** (American, born England, 1812–1879)  
1870  
Watercolor, graphite, and gouache on off-white Bristol board  
7 1/8 x 12 in. (18.1 x 30.5 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 82.9.1. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11096).

## About this work

John William Hill painted this in 1870, aged 58. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Opaque watercolour.** Watercolour made opaque with white or chalk and laid in flat, even layers. Persian and Indian painters ground their colours from minerals, applied them with the finest brushes and burnished the finished page.
- **Watercolour.** Pigment in gum arabic, thinned with water and laid in transparent washes. Nothing white is painted: the light is the paper showing through.
- **Graphite.** Pencil. Graphite has been used for drawing since the 1500s; in 1795 Nicolas-Jacques Conté mixed it with clay, so its hardness could be graded.

### [John William Hill](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/john-william-hill)

American, born England, 1812–1879; born in London; died in West Nyack, New York

## Facts

- Type: Watercolor
- Culture: American
- The artist was 58
- Real size: about 7 × 12 in (18 × 31 cm). Closest to life size: the 11 × 14 in print.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Realism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/realism)
- Subjects: Fruit, Still Life
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/831.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/831/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/plums-met-11096).