Happy 149th Birthday, Florine Stettheimer! Born on this day in Rochester, New York, Stettheimer became an icon of Modern art, creating exuberant paintings of the American Jazz Age using a vibrant palette. Unfortunately, some of the pigments Stettheimer chose can degrade over time. This detail shows a figure wearing a skirt that was painted with the pigment cadmium yellow. The arrow points to where the pigment has begun breaking down into whitish materials, lightening the bright yellow color. Under ultraviolet light, as seen in the second detail image, some of those whitish materials will appear bright orange.

you say you need reassurance

say you been goin’ thru it

i don’t wanna do it

but i’m falling in love anyway

end of February 

moments, even temporary 

they’re everything to me