A Decade of Pomological Watercolors: From FOIA Request to Global Phenomenon

Ten years ago, a blog post advocating for the release of the US government's Pomological Watercolor Collection – a trove of over 7,000 fruit and specimen paintings – sparked a movement. The author's initial FOIA request led not only to the online availability of the high-resolution scans, but also to a decade-long journey of unexpected discoveries. From learning Python to build upload tools, creating social media bots to share the images, and even producing merchandise, the project's impact has grown exponentially. The collection has been featured in books, academic papers, and popular media, highlighting the power of persistence and the unexpected rewards of following one's curiosity.