Strange Garden | Józef Mehoffer | 1903 19th Century adding to the scene's warmth

adding to the scene's warmth and vibrancy

decorating beneath a portrait of Washington with flowers and laurel leaves

Dressed in delicate white

before the collection was donated to the museum in 1999

reflecting the high social status and the introspective nature of the subject

Strange Garden | Józef Mehoffer | 1903 19th Century adding to the scene's warmthStrange Garden (1903) by Jzef Mehoffer (18691946) is a richly symbolic and dreamlike vision of an orchard transformed into a realm of enchantment. Beneath a giant, hovering dragonfly, elegantly dressed women and a golden child move among flowering garlands and sunlit greenery, blurring the boundary between everyday life and fantasy. The scene glows with saturated color and quiet mystery, suggesting a world where innocence, nature, and the uncanny