Against the conventions of her time, Jane Peterson traveled the world alone, painting street scenes, urban and natural vistas, and bold, avant-garde compositions of flowers. Her works combine an academic attention to naturalistic detail with thoroughly modern, striking color combinations and loose, expressive brushstrokes. Peterson associated with and drew influence from the artistic luminaries of the 20th century, attending Gertrude Stein’s famous salons while living in Paris and traveling with Louis Comfort Tiffany, Maurice Prendergast, and Childe Hassam. Peterson may be best known for her paintings of flowers, as she authored an instructional book entitled Flower Painting in 1946. She is quoted as saying, “I paint flowers because they are my friends and I love them. They have personalities just as animals, birds and people (do), and are very sensitive to kindness, attention and to their surroundings.” (https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/43613518_jane-peterson-american-1876-1965)