Coming to the NVMY: Sophie Alstrom Mitchell – Wildflowers of Napa Valley
On exhibition at the Napa Valley Museum Yountville February 15, 2025 – July 13, 2025,
the Museum’s collection of sixty-four 19th century botanical watercolors by St Helena’s Sophie Alstrom Mitchell
featured image: Leopard Lily, Lilium pardalian, 1886 by Sophie Alstrom Mitchell
Opening February 15, 2025 at 10 am in the Main Gallery at NVMY
Free Member Preview February 14 from 1 to 4 pm
Opening Celebration February 15 from 5 to 8 featuring live music and wine; tickets for purchase going on sale soon!
The Napa Valley Museum Yountville is proud to announce: “Sophie Alstrom Mitchell: Wildflowers of the Napa Valley,” an exhibition showcasing the exquisite botanical watercolor paintings of this 19th century Napa Valley artist. The exhibition will feature 64 of her works from our permanent collection, all created between 1882 and 1888, many of which will be exhibited together for the first time.
Mitchell (born Sophie Marie Nordstrom, 1858, in Sweden) moved to St Helena in 1862. Growing up at the White Sulphur Springs Hotel owned by her mother and stepfather Sven Ahlstrom, she developed a keen interest in native wildflowers. Later, her husband the Rev. James Mitchell (who founded St Helena’s First Presbyterian Church) gathered blooms on his travels across the valley and delivered them to her for paintings. The result was a series of skillful and colorful masterpieces showcasing the art of watercolor as well as the rich diversity of Napa Valley’s botanical offerings; over 150 unique plants are portrayed in these works.
While in her lifetime she was recognized as one of California’s finest botanical artists, her work has lapsed into obscurity. The Museum is reaching out seeking community support to give Mitchell’s remarkable work the attention and prominence it deserves. We need sponsors to help fund the exhibition costs, including matting and framing the works, and development and printing of informational panels about the Napa Valley’s wildflower species, local life in the 19th century, and the art and technique of watercolor.