A number of folk art traditions have been combined to form this unusual decorative picture, possibly a memorial for the Benj. S. Farret whose name is inscribed on the plinth underneath the urn of flowers. The arrangement recalls the many combinations of nature's bounty in vases, baskets, and urns that formed the core of nineteenth-century theorem painting, a trend that peaked in America between about 1820 and 1840 and continued in prints widely published throughout the century. Many amateur American artists produced paintings with stencils as well as freehand, and the techniques were taught in copybooks and art classes.

The use of paper cutouts in this piece can be compared with the Germanic tradition of Scherenschnitte, or papercuts. But while most examples of this art form are created by folding a piece of paper and then skillfully scissor cutting a design on the folded edge, this picture has been created by cutting many separate colored pieces of paper and then layering them one on top of another, much like appliqué work on a quilt.

The iconography of this composition suggests that it was made in memory of Farret, not by him; it may therefore be a mourning piece. The inscribed date of 1848 may refer to the year of his death and not necessarily the year in which the picture was created. The urn and the cut roses in the center of the arrangement were widely recognized symbols of death in the nineteenth century. The anchor, an image of hope in Freemasonry and other fraternal organizations, is also found on many nineteenth-century mourning pieces.

Elizabeth V. Warren, "Papercut for Benj. S. Farret," in Stacy C. Hollander, American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 339.