This painting by Edward Chalmers Leavitt appears to anticipate the possible breakup of the United States at the beginning of the Civil War. The tear of sorrow on the apple, the faux-painted outline of state borders on the marble table top, and the date of the work all point to the notion that Leavitt painted this picture as his lament for the impending dissolution of the USA. The artist was one of the leading still life painters of nineteenth century New England. He lived and worked in Providence, RI, and studied with James Morgan Lewin, a leading painter of the Fall River School, which, in the late 19th Century, was one of the most important centers of still life painting.

While Lewin branched out into other types of painting, Leavitt remained devoted to the art of the still life. His paintings are sharply focused, realistic, and carefully finished. Ornate objects such as urns, ewers, platters, cut glassware and opulent fabrics are arranged with fruit and flowers on highly polished, reflective surfaces, creating dramatic decorative effects.

Prolific and highly acclaimed, Leavitt exhibited at the National Academy, Boston Art Club and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His work inspired other still life painters in Providence, resulting in that city's own still life tradition, including artists John Clinton Spencer, Bryant Chapin, Charles Storer and George Whitaker.