A New Variety, Try One

The 'trompe l'oeil' painting of De Scott Evans holds a unique place in American still life. More than twenty variations on the theme of cupboard paintings by his hand have been identified, typically featuring either almonds or peanuts. "A New Variety, Try One" is one of eight pictures that depict almonds set behind splintered glass in a faux wooden cupboard box. A handwritten card invites the viewer to "try one," and the shattered glass implies that a visitor has indeed succumbed to the temptation. Evan's skill at rendering wood grain, glass, and the nuts is brilliantly convincing. The painted wood grain extends beyond the stretcher to the sides, creating the illusion of a hand-hewn box. Evans is thought to have been born "David Scott Evans" in Boston, Indiana. He seems to have used several pseudonyms, one of which, S. S. Davis, is the signature on this work. Evans, who trained in Indiana and then studied briefly in Paris, began painting still lifes after moving to New York City in 1887. He also specialized in scenes of Victorian women and rural life, artistic genres that brought patronage and greater acclaim to late nineteenth-century painters.