Pomona

This painting shows Pomona, the Roman goddess of gardens and orchards. Childe Hassam, like many artists of the early twentieth century, worried about the effects of working-class immigrants on American society, and the figure of Pomona symbolized his belief that people had to nurture their culture, as they would a garden, to preserve it for future generations. He even described the "radiant" sky in his paintings---a kind of benediction from heaven---as a uniquely American characteristic that, like all of the nation's gifts, helped to foster its culture and pride.