Sea Flower (Actinia Senilis), from the Flowers series for Old Judge Cigarettes 1890

"Sea Flower (Actinia Senilis)" comes from a series of flower artworks for Old Judge Cigarettes by Goodwin & Company. This small chromolithograph presents an aquatic scene dominated by a sea anemone. Observe how the horizontal lines of the water create distinct layers, fragmenting the composition and disrupting a conventional sense of depth. The bright red-orange hues of the central sea flower contrast sharply with the green background, drawing the eye immediately to the middle of the image. This color dynamic creates a visual tension, a play between the foreground and background. Note that the reflection is distorted, almost abstract, which destabilizes our perception, challenging fixed meanings. The formal structure of the piece prompts questions about representation and reality, playing with the viewer's expectations of naturalistic depiction. This reflects a broader artistic engagement with how we perceive and categorize the world around us.