While researching the phylloxera epidemic in France, I couldn’t find any photos of the blighted vines….However, Vincent Van Gough is thought to have painted an afflicted vineyard in 1888, twenty-five years after the onset of the devastation.
In Van Gough’s piece called The Red Vine, the one and only painting he sold (publically) during his lifetime, the grapevine being harvested are wearing their fall colors. This is unusual because grapes are typically harvested while grapevines still sport green leaves — not these rich reds, oranges, and golds. Moreover, the vines themselves are drooping, which again indicates the presence of phylloxera.
Hence experts, far more knowledgable than myself, believe he captured a blighted field in this beautiful painting!
My 52 Weeks With Christie 