This painting, Still Life for a Fire Screen, was designed and painted by Charles Demuth (1883–1935), an American Modernist painter born and raised in Lancaster, PA. It was created for the Steinmans, a family with deep roots in the area who owned and operated local newspapers in Lancaster County since 1836. This decorative piece was used as a fire screen covering for one of the many fireplaces in the family home, known as the Conestoga House, still standing today on Marietta Avenue outside of Lancaster City. The Steinmans, who were renovating the 18th century home with local architect Frank Everts, enlisted Demuth to help with the project. Everts was working on combining three existing homes into one and Demuth helped with the décor and placement of art works the Steinmans had collected from Europe. The flower motif bears similarities to Pennsylvania Dutch folk art that Demuth would have been familiar with growing up in Lancaster County. These kinds of traditional designs were often found on textiles, wood furniture, and household items around southeast Pennsylvania. However, it is the flat graphic nature of the painting that reflects Demuth’s modern and groundbreaking artistic style, an amalgamation of his traditional upbringing, the inspiration he found in Lancaster, and his exposure to the avant garde art scene in which he became a prominent figure.