Mulford Bateman Foster, Orlando. Palm Rhythm, oil on board, 26 by 30 1/2 inches.
Mulford Bateman Foster was an artist, horticulturist, landscape architect and naturalist, who moved to Orlando in the early 1920’s to open the Tropical Arts Nursery. Foster became an internationally known horticulturist referred to as “the father of the bromeliad.” He is credited with discovering more than 200 species of bromeliads, many bearing names that reflect his family or home, including Aechmea fosteriana and Aechmea orlandiana.
The March 14,1925 issue of the Orlando Morning Sentinel noted, “Today what is said to be the largest oil painting ever shown in Orlando will be exhibited at the Lake Avalon Groves Offices. This painting is 15 feet long and 5 1/2 feet high and was painted by M. B. Foster, noted landscape artist. The picture was made for the Buffalo, New York office of the Lake Avalon Groves offices, and shows Orlando, Ocoee, Winter Garden and surrounding territory. It is considered one of the finest painting of its kind ever made in Florida.” Foster created a wide variety of art, from botanical drawings and landscapes, to abstract paintings. His art was exhibited in New York, Pennsylvania and at Andre Smith’s Research Studio in Maitland. Foster’s art and writing were published in National Geographic (October, 1950), the Journal of the Bromeliad Society, Smithsonian Magazine, and many horticulture journals. He wrote a book, Brazil, Orchid of the Tropics. In 1992 the Foster Estate donated eight Mulford Foster paintings to the city of Orlando where they were on view at the Harry P. Leu Gardens.
Born: December 25, 1888.
Died: August 28, 1978, Orlando, Florida.
Membership: Orlando Art Association; Florida Federation of Art; Society of The Four Arts.
Exhibits: Florida Federation of Art, 2nd Annual Convention, 1929, Resisting Sea Grapes, Welcoming Dawn, Contented Cypress; Society of The Four Arts, January 1938, Horticultural watercolors of Florida specimens done with photographic accuracy.
