Oranges in Car Trunk

C Fi 9688

This is a painting from a photograph on the cover of "Sarasota: A History", by Jeff LaHurd. It depicts the quintessential bounty of the "land of milk and honey where gold grew on trees" encouraging others to homestead here. Filling the trunk with these tasty treats creates joy, especially in gifting to others. Sarasota is home to historical orange farms such as Albritton's and Brown's.

The Albritton Fruit Company was founded in 1880 in Polk County by Civil War veteran Tom Albritton and is now considered the oldest continually operating family business in Florida. After a devastating freeze, the family moved to Sarasota, where Karl Benjamin Albritton, Tom’s grandson, carried on the family business. Karl did not graduate from high school but was accepted into the University of Florida because of his knowledge about the citrus industry. After attending classes from 1921 – 1923, Albritton returned to the family farm. He is credited with developing the first citrus hedging machine, along other tools and procedures. Karl was inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame and the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in the early to mid-1990s for his impact on the state’s citrus industry.

Brown’s Grove was founded in 1915 when Grandpa Brown moved from Brownsville, Florida, to the Bee Ridge community in Sarasota, Florida, and started growing citrus. His sons, Bobby and Ed, continued in their father’s footsteps.

Next time in town, fill 'er up... with oranges!

Source image:

Artist

Annie headshot

Annie Crouch

Annie is a student at Ringling College of Art and Design. She has experience with both private and public murals, and specializes in organic scenes and vivid colors.

"As a member of the Sarasota community, I was excited to be a part of such an amazing public art event. I enjoyed researching and exhibiting parts of Sarasota history through my passion, while also sharing it with others. In addition, it was extremely inspiring to be working with such skilled and experienced artists as part of a united project."

I painted:
-A flyer from the Sarasota French Film Festival
-A night blooming cactus flower from the Marie Selby Gardens
-Manatees
-A mermaid with a “minimum wake” warning
-The seahorse statue from the Lido Beach Casino
-A historic photo taken of local orange farmers
-Different shark teeth found in Venice,FL

Sponsored By

The Fountain Kitchen & Wine Bar

Known for having the Best Pizza in Sarasota, The Fountain Kitchen & Wine Bar serves edgy Italian-fusion cuisine from Executive Chef Alberto Colin. Located just a short walk from Main Street in downtown Sarasota, in the artistic Burns Square neighborhood near The Exchange and Burns Court Cinema, The Fountain offers our patrons great food, great drink and a great location. They have excellent food with indoor as well as outdoor seating by the fountain!