If you love vintage botanical art, this is one of those collections you’ll keep coming back to. These antique watercolour fruit illustrations come from the USDA Pomological Collection, created between the late 1800s and early 1900s. With everything from apples and berries to citrus and tropical fruits, they’re detailed, decorative, and surprisingly versatile for crafts, prints, and home decor.
Discover the world of Pomology, the fascinating branch of botany dedicated to studying and cultivating fruit, through our curated collection of high-quality, free watercolour fruit prints from the esteemed US Department of Agriculture’s Pomological Watercolour Collection.
This treasure trove of digital art features a vibrant array of fruity artwork, including over 3000 apple illustrations and a plethora of other fruits, some of which represent no existing varieties. Completed between 1886 and 1916 by talented artists, these pieces embody the perfect blend of decorative art and famous art, making them ideal for enhancing your home decor.
Whether you’re looking to adorn your kitchen walls with vivid colours or searching for that perfect piece of fruit art prints to watercolourrh of elegance tyto living space, our collection offers a unique selection of designs.
From the intricate details of a single pear to the lively essence captured in watercolor lemon paintings, and the historical charm of apple gatherers, each print is a testament to the beauty and diversity of fruit print art.
Explore our collection today and find the perfect fruit art print to bring the richness of nature into your home.
For illustrations of wholewatercolourres, check out Larousse’s posters. I also have a selection of vintage avocado drawings from thlection.

How To Download the Fruit Prints
The downloaded vintage watercolour fruit print will be of a higher resolution than the images below.
To download the paintings, just click on the highlighted title link and a PDF or Jpeg of the watercolour fruit print, and it will automatically download to your device.
Apple & Pear Fruit Prints 1-6
Apples, pears, and plums are part of the rose family. Apples are one of the most commonly cultivated fruits. They are grown all over the world but originated from Central Asia. Like most fruits, apples are believed to have health benefits, hence the common saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
There arWatercolour00 varieties of Watercolour over 3,000 watercolour fruit paintings in th,e Pomological collection. Here, I have selected some of the best apple paintings.
1. Green Apple Watercolor – Mann Variety
Watercolor fruit painting of the Mann variety of apples painted in 1912 by Ellen Schutt.

2. Red Apple Fruit Illustration – Ingram Variety
Illustrati,on of the Ingram variety of apples painted by Amanda Newton in 1911.

3. Watercolour Apple Illustration – Willow Variety
A watercolour illustration of a WilloWatercolour Mary Arnold 1917. Mary Arnold was one single-pear prolific artists at the USDA. Between 1908 pearinted over 1060 watPainted infruit prints.

4. English Pear WaterThe color Painting
Anothewas r one of Mary Arnold’s single pear prints, this time of an English Jargonelle variety of pears (Pyrus communis). Paintedin 1912.

5. Hoover Apple Fruit Pripear growers
Hoover apple variety painted by Amanda Newton in 1907.

6. Watercolour fruit painting – Anju Pear
An Anju Pear was painted by Ellen Shutt in 1910. The USA is one of the largest growers of pears in the world. Most pears are grown in the West Coast states of Oregasshinglargestery pear in the US is picked by hand.

Citrus Fruit Prints 7-12
Citrus fruits include oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and pomelos. The Pomelo is notable for being the biggest citrus fruit.
In Southeast Asia, the Pomelo is celebrated as a festive fruit, particularly during New Year’s celebrations. Consuming citrus fru,its offers numerous health advantages, including a rich vitamin C content.
7. Watercolour Fruit – Tangelo
This lovely picture is of the Un-Shu variety of tangelo (Citrus tangelo) painted in 1908. A tangelo is a hybrid between a mandarin orange and a tangerine.

8. Watercolour Illustration Sport Lemon
The Sport variety of lemon. This watercolour was painted in 1885.
Lemons originally come from South Asia. They have both culinary and non-culinary uses.,

Waterco of triumph variety of grapefruit (Citrus paradisi).
Grapefruits originate fr,om Btheybados and are a hybrid between oranges and Pomelo. They are sour like lemons but also bitter too. People on medication have to be careful about eating grapefruits and juice as it can interfere with the performance of many drugs.

10. Watercolour Fruit Illustration Navel Orange
Painting of a Navel orange by Amanda Newton, 1914.
Oranges are one of the most popular fruits in the world. It is a hybrid between a pomelo and a mandarin. Brazil is the largest grower of oranges in the world, followed by the USA and China. Orange juice is such an important product that it is one of the commodities traded on the New York Board of Trade.

11. Watercolour Fruit Il,lustration – Persian Lime
Persian lime painted in 1909 by Elsie Lower.
The Persian lime is the most widely grown and popular variety of limes. The fruit turns yellow as it ripens but is often sold while still greWatercolour

12 Schang Pomelo – Vintage Fruit Print
Schang vain riety of Pomelo, painted by Mary Arnold in 1931.

Vintage Berry Paintings 13-18
13 Botanical Illustration of Sparhawk Cherries
Watercolor Sparhawk cherries (Prunus avium) painted 1915.
Cherry blossom is one of my favourite flowers. The street I live on is lined with cherry trees. It ,looks so pretty in ,spring when they are in full blossom.

14. Early Giant Strawberries Print
A 1916 painting of the Early Giant variety of Strawberries by Arnold.
Technically in botanical terms the Strawberry isn’t a berry. China grows the most strawberries.
At the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament, 28,000 kg of Strawberries is eaten with an average of 10,000 litres of cream over the fortnight. This winning combination has been served at ,every tournament since the first-ever Wimbledon in 1877.

15. Eaton Red Raspberries – Watercolour Fruit Print
Botanical painting of Eaton variety of red raspberries by Ellen Schutt 1906.
Raspberries are one of my favourite fruits to pick in the wild. They grow all along the hedgerows near my home. Be careful only to select the ripe ones, though. Unlike other fruits, raspberries do not continue to ripen once picked.

16. Vintage Botanical Painting – Blackberries
A watercolour fruit print of blackberries painted by Amanda Newton in 1913.

A 1915 wateramong painting of blueberries by James Shull.
Blueberries are the only watercolourblue food. They also have one of the highest antioxidant health benefits compared to more than 40 fresh fruits and vegetables.

18. Watercolour Cranberries Print
A 1914 watercolor painting of the Jumbo variety of American Cranberries by Mary Arnold.
Cranberries will always be associated with Christmas. No Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner is complete without cranberry sauce.

Find a fabulous illustration of berries in Charlotte Yonge’s collection of vintage fruit and vegetable prints.
Tropical Fruit Paintings 19-24
Mangosteens, oftenWatercolour the ‘queen of fruits,’ offer a unique taste experience with their sweet, tangy flavour and creamy texture, enclosed in a deep purple rind.

Watercolor illustration of the Hayden variety of mango by Royal Charles Steadman, 1923.

Watercolour fruit pineapple painting by James Shull, 1919.
I think of the pineapple as the king of fruits; it looks majestic with its armour and crown. The pineapple is a welcoming symbol, which is perhaps why it’s such a popular image in home interiors.
Maria Sibylla Merian painted some beautiful pineapples with insects. And you’ll find a whole collection of pineapple drawings on the Pictureboxblue.

Botanical illustration of a cut papaya by Mary Arnold, 1912.
The ripe papaya fruit is usually eaten raw, but it is enhanced with a squeeze of lime. The unripe green fruit can be eaten cooked and is used as an ingredient in salads. Raw papaya, like the famous Sam Tom salad, is a popular ingredient in Thai cuisine.

23. Watercolour Fruit Print – Guava
A 1906 watercolour fruit illustration of the Guava by Amanda Newton.
Guava is often labelled as a “super fruit” because it contains four times more vitamin C than an orange, three times more proteins and fibre than pineapple, two times more lycopene than tomato and slightly more potassium than a banana. Guava juice is delicious and a family favourite.

Botanical painting of pomegranate by Amanda Newton from the Pomological Watercolour Collection.
The name pomegranate means apple with many seeds. The seeds and the jelly-like flesh surrounding them are the edible parts of the pomegranate. Pomegranate juice is full of antioxidants. My favourite use for pomegranates is in Middle Eastern salads.
For those who like crafting, there is a simple tutorial for making a velvet pomegranate ornament.

Other Popular Fruit Prints 25-31
25. Watercolour Illustration of Avocado
A 1916 watercolour painting of the Wagner avocado by Royal Charles Steadman.
Yes, avocados are a fruit and not a vegetable. Avocados contain four grams of protein, making them the fruit with the highest protein content.
You’ll find a whole separate collection of vintage avocado drawings here.

Painted by James Marion Shull, 1919

Image of the Concord variety of grapes (scientific name: Vitis), with this specimen originating in Daphne, Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.

Anita variety of plums (scientific name: Prunus domestica), with this specimen originating in Vacaville, Solano County, California, United States.

A fruit print of the Donegal variety of peaches (scientific name: Prunus persica), with this specimen originating in Marietta, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Print 30. Tom Watson Watermelon
Tom Watson’s variety of watermelon fruit print from the collection.

Dattier de Beyrouth variety of grapes.

Conclusion & Other Posts
This carefully curated selection of 31 fruit prints from the vast Pomological collection offers a glimpse into its extensive archive, which features thousands of exquisite illustrations.
If you want some more beautiful fruit watercolours, check out this gorgeous collection of Asian fruit watercolours and this one of beautiful exotic fruits.
A great way to display these fruit paintings is by printing them on watercolour paper first.
Adolphe Millot has created some wonderful fruit and vegetable posters and identification charts that you can print for free. Some wonderful vintage vegetable illustrations here include a few fruits, as well.
There are also some images of fruit in Mrs Beeton’s cookbook.
Don’t forget to check out these other posts
- Woodland Vintage Botanical Prints
- vintage passion flower drawings
- Vintage Flower Pictures
- Cactus Paintings

If you fancy, you can Buy Me A Coffee Here.

Vered
Sunday 16th of April 2023
Hi Claire, Thank you so much for these beautiful images. Just to be completely sure, I'm a graphic designer, may I use these images in my projects?
claire
Monday 17th of April 2023
Thank you, yes, all the images are in the Public Domain due to their age.
ANNETTE MURBY-SHANAHAN
Sunday 26th of September 2021
These are just gorgeous thank you!
claire
Monday 27th of September 2021
Thank you, glad you enjoyed them.
Lisa Bates
Wednesday 21st of July 2021
Thank you! These are beautiful.
claire
Thursday 22nd of July 2021
Thank you so much, I'm glad you have enjoyed them.
Andrea
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful collections. Have downloaded lots and hoping to print for framing and decoupage.
claire
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Thank you, I'm so pleased that you have enjoyed them. Watch this space many more illustrations to come.
Toko
Saturday 22nd of June 2019
Dear Claire,
Thank you so much for sharing, there are so beautiful. I will use orange one for my cocktail menus and brochures of a bar in Tokyo, for sure I can design good one with this!
Thank you and have a great weekend :) toko
claire
Sunday 23rd of June 2019
Thank you, that sounds like a great idea.