Explore the Orchids in art about the Background of this artwork, Orchid and Hummingbirds near a Mountain Lake.
Many scholars believe that the orchid depicted in Heade's art is symbolic of women and sexuality because of how intensely it was painted. The orchid has roots in sensual symbolism, as the word orchid is derived from the Greek word for testicles, "orchis.": 91  This symbolism of the orchid is corroborated because, according to art historian Barbara Novak, "the flowers themselves are suggestively configured and painted with a variety of stroking and touches.": 19  Since Heade was not married until later in his life, it is possible, according to scholars, that the orchid is used to symbolize the sublimation of his own sexual desires.The orchid in the scope of Heade's works could also be symbolic of the struggle of survival in the wild. According to Timothy A. Eaton, as Darwin's ideas were becoming more popular at the time, "the orchid was held up as an example of his theory’s validity because of its remarkable diversity attributed to the need for adaptation in the struggle for survival." The orchid and hummingbird are similar in their depiction as an exotic piece of nature with complex anatomy, so the Orchid and Hummingbird Near a Mountain Lake could be pinning the two against one another in a fight.