
          -4-

That her work will be better known one hundred years hence than now I have no doubt. During her lifetime she had no
peer as regards detail painting) nor will she be fully understood until artists paint things as they are rather than as they
seem. She knew no average case, every problem was a special one, and whether it was the leathery leaf of a Rhododendron, the
airy stem of a grass, or the translucent petal of Primula in a pastel shade, the lily to which she carried a full brush of
purest scarlet, the manipulation was as nothing compared with the thinking done before she mixed her colors.  For her period
she stood alone; that part of her fame is history and cannot be changed.

It was suggested by many well meaning friends, during
the last year of her life, that she give up her work and rest;
to all her answer was "I could not" "One's work is all there is."
"After I stop work I shall die."  And so she did.

On January 3rd 1911, about eight in the morning
she was dressed and telling a dramatic story.  She
raised her right-hand for emphasis, the valves of 
her heart closed, and before the lady in the room 
could reach her she was gone.
Carrie Harrison

[obituary clipping from Herald January 5, 1911]

WELL-KNOWN ARTIST DEAD.

Funeral of Miss Deborah G. Pass
more Will Be Held To-day.

Funeral services for Miss Deborah G.
Passmore, a well-known artist of the 
Department of Agriculture, will be held
this afternoon at 1 o’clock at the family
residence, in the Earlington apartments.
Interment will be at Moorestown, N. J.

Miss Passmore was born in 1845 in
Delaware County, Pa., of Quaker an
cestry, her parents being Everett Gris
com Passmore and Elizabeth Knight
Passmore. She was educated in Friends
schools, studied art under several famous 
painters, and was a pupil at the
School of Design in Philadelphia. Miss
Passmore came to Washington more than
twenty years ago and established a
studio, having pupils from many well
nown Washington families, including
that of William W. Corcoran, founder of
the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

Miss Passmore’s specialty was water
colors of fruits and flowers. Colored
prints from her paintings of apples,
pears, and other fruits have always been
afeature of the Yearbook of the Department 
of Agriculture.

[obituary clipping from The Post]

FAMED AS FRUIT PAINTER.

Death of Miss Passmore, Artist in 
the Agricultual [Agricultural] Department.

Miss Deborah Griscom Passmore, for
eighteen years the principal painter of
fruits for the Department of Agriculture, 
died Tuesday morning at her apartment 
in the Earlington. The funeral will take
place at 1 o’clock tomorrow afternoon. 
The remains will be taken to Moorestown, 
N. J., for interment.

Miss Passmore studied art in the 
School of Design and at the Academy of 
Fine Arts in Philadelphia and was a 
pupil of several famous artists, including 
Thomas Moran.

Flowers and fruits in water color were 
her specialty. One of her greatest 
achievements was a series of paintings 
of practically every known variety of 
lily. Several of her paintings were exhibited
in the art gallery of the Columbian 
exposition in Chicago and received 
favorable mention.

For a number of years Miss Passmore 
taught painting in Washington. Since 
her appointment to the division of pomology 
of the Department of Agriculture 
August 1, 1802, she had produced thousands 
of paintings of fruits, many of 
which were reproduced in color in the 
yearbook of that department.

[obituary clipping from The Star]

FAMED AS FRUIT PAINTER.

Death of Miss Passmore, Artist in
the Agricultual [Agricultural] Department.

Miss Deborah Griscom Passmore, for
eighteen years the principal painter of
fruits for the Department of Agriculture, 
died Tuesday morning at her apartment 
in the Earlington. The funeral will take
place at 1 o’clock tomorrow afternoon. 
The remains will be taken to Moorestown, 
N. J., for interment.

Miss Passmore studied art in the 
School of Design and at the Academy of 
Fine Arts in Philadelphia and was a 
pupil of several famous artists, including 
Thomas Moran.

Flowers and fruits in water color were 
her specialty. One of her greatest 
achievements was a series of paintings 
of practically every known variety of 
lily. Several of her paintings were exhibited
in the art gallery of the Columbian 
exposition in Chicago and received 
favorable mention.

For a number of years Miss Passmore 
taught painting in Washington. Since 
her appointment to the division of pomology 
of the Department of Agriculture 
August 1, 1802, she had produced thousands 
of paintings of fruits, many of 
which were reproduced in color in the 
yearbook of that department.
        