Carl Sammons (1883-1968) Early California Impressionist

Written and submitted by Douglas S. McElwain, October 15, 2005

Carl Sammons, a long-time resident of California, was a prolific Plein Air artist.  He is best known for his representational landscapes and coastal scenes.  Sammons painted pastels early in his career and is sometimes referred to as a pastelist.  By 1920 Sammons was also painting oils.  These comprise the majority of his work.  The renowned Early California Impressionist John M. Gamble praised Sammons’ work on several occasions and once said that Sammons was the best painter of flowers in the west. 

Carl Sammons was born in Kearney, Nebraska to John B. Sammons and Elizabeth (a.k.a. Lizzie) Danford on May 9, 1883.  Many sources list Sammons’ birth date as May 9, 1886.  However, at the time of the 1885 Nebraska State Census, two year old Carl and his family were living in the Riverdale Township, Buffalo County, Nebraska.  The 1900, 1910 and 1920 United States Federal Census further confirm Sammons’ birth date as 1883.  He was the seventh of eight children.  Sammons’ mother and father were both born in Ohio.  His father was a farmer but served in the Union Army during the Civil War. 

Sammons grew up in Kearney, Nebraska and began working as a sign painter there.  During this time he joined the local chapter of the Elk’s Lodge.  By 1909 Sammons was living and working in Sioux City, Iowa although he kept his legal residence as Kearney (as evidenced by his name being listed in the 1910 Kearney Federal Census and the 1910-1911 Kearney City Directory).  Sammons worked for the Sioux City sign painting companies Arthur Loft in 1909 and 1910 and C W Ashley in 1911 and 1913.  Later in 1913, Sammons moved to Petaluma, California where his sister Mary E. Dye lived.  It appears that Sammons moved back to Kearney briefly in 1917 but soon thereafter returned to California.  From then on, Sammons earned his living solely as an artist. 

On February 3, 1923, Sammons married Queen Esther Stewart.  Queen, a native Californian, was born on May 14, 1893 to Calvin Stewart and Frances J. Cooper residents of Fort Bragg.  Queen was the youngest of seven children.  At the time of their marriage, Queen was living in Petrolia (one of Sammons’ favorite spots to paint).  Sammons and Queen had much in common: a love of California; parents who were born in the Midwest; a religious belief in God; and both came from large families.  This was the first and only marriage for both of them.  They were married in the Oakland home of F. E. Lucas by the minister of the First Lutheran Church, Oakland.  They settled in Oakland and traveled widely throughout the West.  During their first years of marriage Queen went by Bess or Bessie. 

Sammons was a quiet, soft spoken and gentle man who was heavily influenced by his mid-west upbringing.  Nevertheless in some ways he was a contradiction.  He was a very private man; yet he was also a warm and friendly person who waved at passers-by while outdoors painting and sketching.  He eschewed the limelight but enjoyed the children who would occasionally watch him paint, sometimes sending them on errands to fetch something for him, e.g., a piece of redwood bark so he could get the color right in his paintings.  Lastly, he was a very humble man, even as friends, fellow artists and art critics praised his work. 

Sammons died in Oakland on February 4, 1968 after a long illness.  Services were held on February 6, 1968 at the Telegraph Avenue Chapel of the Grant Miller Mortuaries, Oakland.  He was cremated at the Chapel of the Chimes, Fremont.  Sammons was survived by his wife (she lived to be 103 and passed away March 19, 1997 in Moraga); a sister, Mrs. Mary E. Dye, Petaluma; his brother, Roscoe C. Sammons, Long Beach; nieces and nephews. 

Painting was a lifelong passion for Sammons that began in his childhood.  He began his formal art studies in Sioux City while working as a gold letter sign painter.  During this time he studied under the leading local artist F. P. Frisch, a German painter.  Around 1919, Sammons began studying at the California School of Fine Arts (at the time affiliated with the University of California and now known as the San Francisco Art Institute).  It seems likely that this is where Sammons studied oil painting. 

Sammons was an early automobile enthusiast and, by the mid-1920’s, used cars extensively in his work to make painting sojourns.  Many of these painting trips involved Sammons and his wife camping out by the side of their car in scenic locations far away from any accommodations.  Within California, he and Queen made numerous painting trips to Humboldt County, the Monterey Peninsula, Palm Springs, the Russian River, Santa Barbara and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

 “His many works included landscapes, seascapes, high mountains, lakes, coastal ranges, the desert and its flora, rolling California hills, thundering breakers, scenes in all seasons, an occasional bouquet of flowers and even birds.”  Sammons’ oil and pastel paintings include scenes from Antelope Valley, Big Sur, Cayucos, Contra Costa County (Mount Diablo and the Orinda hills), Death Valley, Humboldt County (Cape Mendocino, Davis Creek, the Etter Ranch, Ferndale, the Mattole River watershed, Petrolia and Shelter Cove), Laguna Beach, Mission San Miguel, the Monterey Peninsula (17 Mile Drive, the Carmel coast, the Lone Cypress, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Point Lobos), Mount Shasta, Palm Springs (Andreas Canyon, the Anza Borrego Desert, La Quinta Canyon, Mount San Gorgonio, the Palm Springs Desert and Mount San Jacinto), the Russian River (redwoods and the Russian River), the Sacramento River, Santa Barbara (the Andre Clark Bird Refuge, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Montecito, the Santa Barbara coast and the Santa Barbara Mission), San Diego (Laguna Mountains), San Francisco (the Cliff House, Golden Gate Park and Sausalito) and the Sierra Nevada mountains (Blue Lake, Convict Lake, Garnet Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake, King’s Canyon, Lake Diaz in Lone Pine, Lake Ellery, Lake George, Lake Mary, Lake Sabrina, Lake Tahoe, the Mammoth Lakes region, the Merced River, the Minarets, Mount Ritter, Relief Peak, Rush Creek, Silver Lake, the Sonora Pass, Tee Jay Lake, Twin Lakes, Virginia Lake and Yosemite). 

Sammons also painted throughout the west including Arizona (the Apache Trail, the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Superstition Mountains, the Tucson desert, the Tucson Mission and the Virgin River Canyon), Colorado, Montana (Glacier National Park), Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon (Crater Lake and Diamond Lake), Texas, Utah (Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon), Washington and Wyoming (the Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, Mount Moran – Jackson Lake and Yellowstone).  He painted in Nebraska (the Elkhorn River) and outside the continental United States in Alaska (Mount McKinley) and Canada (the Bow River and Lake Louise in Alberta). 

Sammons had studios in a number of locations throughout California during his career.  He maintained a studio in San Francisco during the mid-1920’s.  When he and Queen lived in Oakland, he kept a studio there.  For much of the time though, beginning in the late 1930’s, Sammons and Queen followed a yearly routine of traveling around California.  They stayed in areas they liked for months at a time and went on painting excursions from these temporary homes.  At these locales, Sammons would set up a studio.  Places they visited regularly where Sammons had a studio included Humboldt County (they loved Petrolia and spent the summers there in the 1940’s and 1950’s), Monte Rio on the Russian River, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara (they lived there in 1943). 

He sold many of his works to individuals and public institutions through private exhibitions and personal contacts.  However, Sammons also sold a number of his paintings through art galleries in Berkeley; Carmel; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Palm Springs; San Francisco; Santa Barbara; Santa Rosa and the East.  Like other artists, Sammons didn’t always sell his paintings and was known to give his paintings to his friends and occasionally in barter to pay his bills (i.e., the dentist, barber, etc.).

Sammons worked occasionally on commission.  In 1926 he was commissioned to paint the Superstition Mountains in Arizona for the Elk’s Lodge in Oakland, the Apache Trail, and several paintings along the Lincoln Highway for “eastern automobile magnates who were officials of the Lincoln Highway Association.”  In the 1920’s Sammons created a very large painting for California State Senator A. W. Way, a 60 x 240 in. work, showing the proposed Shoreline Highway from Sausalito north. 

Sammons also painted a number of works to order for Donald Rheem; a friend and the developer of Rheem Valley (Moraga) in Contra Costa County.  These included a 1940 oil painting titled “Mount Diablo Wild Flowers” measuring 12 x 16 in. and a circa 1950 oil painting titled “Rheem Valley Estate” measuring 36 x 54 in.  Sammons was known to visit the location where the commissioned painting was to be displayed in order to choose the palette he used for the painting.  He did this to ensure the finished painting would be complementary with its surroundings. 

Notable California artists counted among Sammons’ friends included Edward Borein (1873-1945), John Gamble (1863-1957), Deidrich Gremke (1860-1939), Paul Grimm (1892-1974), Lorenzo Latimer (1857-1941), William Otte (1871-1957), DeWitt Parshall (1864-1956) and Thaddeus Welch (1844-1919).  William Frates (1896-1969) who studied under him was also Sammons’ friend and best man at his wedding.  Sammons would occasionally paint with his friends and colleagues, e.g., Sammons’ painting trip to the Grand Canyon in 1929 where he was joined by John Gamble and his painting trip in 1932 with Edward Borein.     

Sammons also knew Albert DeRome (1885-1959) and his “autograph” appears on the back of several of DeRome’s works.  “It was DeRome’s habit to seek the advice of acquaintances when they visited his home.  His visitors would then sign the backs of the paintings.” 

In the 1920’s, Sammons was a member of the Alameda County Art League, the Berkeley Fine Arts League and the Art League of Santa Barbara.  In later years he was made an honorary member of the Redwood Palette Club in Guerneville.  He received an award from the American Artists Professional League for “distinguished participation” in November 1940 for an art exhibit held in Oakland (this might have been for his participation in the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition).  In 1941 Sammons was nominated for membership in the Society for Sanity in Art (later to be renamed the Society of Western Artists); however it is not known if he ever joined that organization.  In the early 1950’s, Sammons may have been associated with the Desert Art Center, Palm Springs as his presence in Palm Springs is mentioned in two Desert Art Center newspaper articles.  However, the Desert Art Center’s remaining records from that period contain no reference to him.   

Sammons’ work was exhibited in 1923 at the California Industries Exposition, San Francisco; in 1925 at the Berkeley League of Fine Arts’ Third Annual Exhibition, Berkeley; in 1926 at the California Industries Exposition, San Diego; in 1926 at the Claremont Hotel Art Gallery, Berkeley; in 1928, 1929 and 1930 at the Art League of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara (solo); in 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931 at La Casa de Manana Gallery, Berkeley; in 1931 at the Haggin Museum, Stockton (known at the time as the Haggin Memorial Galleries); in 1931 at the Tahoe Tavern, Lake Tahoe; in 1931 and 1933 at the Courvoisier Gallery, San Francisco; in 1939, 1940 and 1941 at the Desert Inn Gallery, Palm Springs; in 1940 at the Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco; in 1947 with the Artists of Cathedral City, Cathedral City; circa 1947 at the William Keith Gallery, Saint Mary’s College, Moraga; in 1957 at the Alameda County Agricultural Fair, Pleasanton and in 1957 at the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento (known at the time as the Crocker Art Gallery). 
Sammons’ painting “Sacramento River Landscape” was exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. for the United States 1976 Bicentennial celebration.  The Ronald E. Walker Collection contained Sammons’ works “Point Lobos”, “Lupines on the Anza Borrego Desert” and “Yuccas, Palm Springs Desert”.    The Walker Collection was exhibited at the Nevada Museum of Art, Reno in 1993, the Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah in 1997, the Hearst Art Gallery, Saint Mary’s College, Moraga in 1997 and the Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard in 1998.  Sammons’ painting “Point Lobos” was displayed on the front cover of the book published in connection with the Nevada Museum of Art’s exhibit of the Walker Collection.  

In 1994, a private collector loaned the M. H. de Young Museum, San Francisco Sammons’ painting “Golden Hills of California” which was subsequently displayed in the museum’s galleries until 1999.  Sammons’ work was displayed at the Irvine Valley College Art Gallery, Irvine in 2000 as part of the California Deserts exhibit. 

Sammons’ paintings “Big Sur” and “King’s Canyon” are held by the M. H. de Young Museum, San Francisco.  One of his paintings, a seascape titled “Ocean and Clouds”, is held by the Santa Barbara Historical Society/Museum, Santa Barbara.  The Grace Museum, Abilene, Texas holds Sammons’ painting “Desert Flowers.”  His paintings are also held by the John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek; the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland and the Moraga Historical Society, Moraga.  

Sammons’ work is listed in the Inventory of American Paintings at the Smithsonian Institution; Washington, D.C.  Slides of thirty-nine of his paintings are contained in the Nan and Roy Farrington Jones Archive of Early California & Western Art at the California State Museum Resource Center, West Sacramento. 

As noted, Sammons didn’t participate in many public exhibits during his long career.  However, when he did participate in public exhibitions it was alongside well renowned California artists.  During his career some of the artists he exhibited alongside included Carl Oscar Borg (1879-1947), Jessie Arms Botke (1883-1971), Maurice Braun (1877-1941), William Clapp (1879-1954), Maynard Dixon (1875-1946), John Gamble (1863-1957), Arthur Gilbert (1894-1970), Selden Gile (1877-1947), Percy Gray 1869-1952), Armin Hansen 1886-1957), John Hilton (1904-1883), Maurice Logan (1886-1977), Jean Mannheim (1863-1945), Edgar Payne (1883-1947), Hanson Puthuff (1875-1972), Granville Redmond (1871-1935), William S. Rice (1873-1963), William Ritschel (1864-1949), Milliard Sheets (1907-1989), Jack Wilkinson Smith (1873-1949), James Swinnerton (1875-1974), William Wendt (1865-1946) and Theodore Wores (1859-1939).    

In the 1920’s, Sammons was described as “one of California’s outstanding artists” and as a “famous western painter.”  On several occasions Sammons’ work was praised by Harry Noyes Pratt who was well known in the art world and was, at various times, editor of the Overland Monthly, art critic for the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle, Director of the Haggin Memorial Galleries and Director of the Crocker Art Gallery.  As previously mentioned, Sammons' fellow artist John Gamble held his work in high esteem.  During his life, Sammons’ paintings were sold to people with homes around the world; however today he isn’t as well known as many other Early California Impressionists. 

Even as a relatively unknown artist today, his paintings have been auctioned at Bonhams & Butterfields, San Francisco; Christie’s, Los Angeles; John Moran Auctioneers, Pasadena; Sothebys.com (a business venture between eBay, San Jose and Sotheby’s, New York); Phillips, London as well as other auction houses in the United States.  In the last few years his paintings have been sold in art galleries in Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington. 

Sammons lack of recognition today may be due to several reasons.  First, unlike many of his more renowned colleagues, it seems that Sammons chose to limit the amount of time and effort he spent promoting his art.  Sammons was a very private man and it appears that he chose not to participate in many of the same activities that his peers did.  Therefore, many of the records that art historians normally look at to support an artist’s place in history do not exist for him.  After his passing, Queen wanted to respect his memory and to her that meant respecting his privacy.  As a result, she was reluctant to talk to art historians about him so her knowledge of his contribution to Early California Impressionism isn’t available to researchers. 

Sammons didn’t actively market his paintings, e.g., he was inconsistent in naming his paintings in an ear catching or poetic manner.  Some of his paintings drew praise for their titles but others were either untitled or had titles which were only descriptive of the scene they represented.  Many times he would also let the purchaser frame the painting which may have conveyed the impression that the work was only partially complete. 

Even though Sammons called a number of other well known California artists his friends, he is known to have actively participated in only three art clubs and that was early in his career in the 1920’s.  Also, unlike a number of his peers, Sammons does not appear to have participated in any of the social clubs (i.e., the Bohemian Club, etc.).  Art and social clubs helped other artists promote their work and increased their historical recognition. 

Sammons didn’t participate in many public or juried exhibits; instead preferring to sell his paintings through galleries, private exhibits and personal contacts.  By not participating in juried exhibits, he excluded himself from the possibility of winning awards which is yet another way that artists gain historical recognition. 

Sammons lack of participation in many of the aforementioned art activities might have been partly the result of conflicts with his personal travel and his painting trips.  Both he and Queen loved their annual trips around California.  In the 1930’s they developed a routine, traveling to Santa Barbara in the late fall, then on to Palm Springs for the winter, then back north ending up in Humboldt County for the summer and early fall.  Sammons would exhibit his work in local venues along his route of travel and rarely elsewhere.  Consequently, their yearly travel seems to have taken precedence over promotional considerations.  

Therefore, it seems that Sammons promoted his work only enough to make a reasonable living at it.  This in turn though allowed him to focus on what he loved; spending time with Queen, painting and traveling throughout California. 

Second, even though Sammons’ technique improved over his career, his style was very consistent throughout his life.  His technique may be perceived as being less complex or sophisticated than that used by other Early California Impressionists.  In many of his paintings Sammons’ brushstrokes are deliberate, measured and ordered resulting in a well defined composition.  This may be interpreted by some as being too precise for an Impressionistic work and hence lacking in sophistication.    
Many of Sammons’ works are painted using a few pure or strong colors set amid more subdued tones.  Many of his more renowned peers used palettes that were more complex than this.  They used either subtler shades of color or color contrast to form vivid color values.  Therefore, these artists may be perceived to have used more refined techniques. 

Nevertheless, many examples exist, both in oil and pastel, where Sammons’ paintings exhibit sophisticated brushstrokes and color values.  It is worth noting that Granville Redmond’s brushstrokes are deliberate and measured in a manner similar to Sammons’ brushstrokes.  Also, John Gamble’s paintings use strong color.  Both artists are highly regarded Early California Impressionists.  Speculatively, given the relationship between them, it’s likely that Sammons was influenced to use strong color in his paintings by John Gamble.

Finally, Sammons lack of recognition may be due the fragility of many of his works.  A number of his pastels have probably not survived to the present day.  Sammons painted many pastels with rich, vibrant color; however they are rarely seen in art venues today.  Since pastel works are more delicate than oils and must be properly maintained in order to stand up to the tests of time, it’s reasonable to assume that many of his pastels have not survived into the present and therefore are not available for study.  

Sammons’ style is a combination of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and the American Realist tradition that fits squarely into the California Eucalyptus School of painting.  However, just as it is important to describe the style Sammons used, it is equally important to describe what his method does not include.  Sammons’ paintings are not symbolic, abstract or expressionist; nevertheless they do embody a spirituality of the land. 

During Sammons’ career, California changed considerably yet his focus remained on landscapes.  California’s population grew from about two and a half million in 1910 to slightly over nineteen million by the time of his death in 1968.  Industry and development became increasingly important to the state’s economy and many places which, in 1913, were remote or scenic became easily accessible or developed by 1968.  As development increased, the desire to protect scenic areas, preserve open space and curb growth grew within the state.  During the same timeframe, the United States went through considerable changes including an isolationist period, a severe depression, two world wars, its emergence as one of the world’s two superpowers and social unrest.  However, there is no indication that any of these factors influenced his work; only that he loved the scenery he painted. 

Some believe that Sammons was “inspired by the compelling aesthetic beauty of canvases by a somewhat older generation of early California artists such as Granville Redmond (1871-1957), John Gamble (1863-1957) and Percy Gray (1869-1952). Carl Sammons was also attuned with artists of his generation such as Edgar Payne (1883-1947), Albert DeRome (1885-1959) and Paul Grimm (1892-1974).  It is worth noting that Sammons was actively painting California imagery in the same locales and during the years overlapping all six of these artists.”  While Sammons was aware of the work of his peers, it seems that he was inspired more by the natural beauty around him. 

 “His early canvases are generally more tonal renditions in the pastel palette of impressionism and characterized by medium width broken brushwork applied in a layered, craftsman-like manner.  Eventually, by the late 1930’s, he began using a narrower, more representational style of broken brushwork, while employing a higher key of color values to represent nature’s palette.”  Sammons paintings “are recognizable for their strong color and well defined composition.”  Besides oil and pastel, Sammons worked in two other mediums: watercolor twice during his infrequent illnesses and in gouache. 

Sammons’ oils are typically recognized as including a vivid color component however his pastels are not.  In truth though, his pastels exhibit a broad range of color extending from restrained to vibrant.  In the early days of his career Sammons bought his pastel supplies from his former mentor F. P. Frisch.   However later, possibly after F. P. Frisch had passed away, Sammons made “his own crayons in colors that cannot be bought.  The result is that no blending is necessary and the finished painting gives a fresh color effect similar to water color technique.”  John Gamble described Sammons’ pastels in one exhibit as “little gems possessing a richness of color one seldom sees in this difficult medium.”   

As noted earlier, Sammons painted a few large works on commission.  However, unlike many of his well-known peers, Sammons doesn’t appear to have painted many larger pieces instead preferring smaller canvases.  Sammons might have painted on smaller canvases to paint works that were more affordable to his customers and to save a little money on the materials.  He was known at times to purchase a 24 x 30 in. canvas board, paint the backside green, and then divide the board into four, 12 x 15 in. sections for his paintings.  Sammons also occasionally painted miniatures.  These paintings were 2 x 3 in. and required great skill to paint an Impressionistic work in such a small area.   

Sammons would many times sell his paintings on temporary matting and let the buyer frame the piece.  His paintings were signed as Carl Sammons, C. Sammons or Sammons.  He usually signed his paintings at the bottom (on either the right or left side).  However, on several occasions he was known to sign only the matting on which he had mounted the painting. 

Carl Sammons combined Impressionistic and Post-Impressionistic techniques to create a very sophisticated canvas.  As such, his finest works are comparable to those produced by his more renowned Early California Impressionist colleagues.  However, Sammons’ desire to paint the landscape he loved took precedent over promoting his work and has caused his paintings to be overlooked by many modern scholars and collectors.  As time passes, and more people become familiar with his legacy, Sammons’ paintings will come to be known as an important contribution to the Early California Impressionist tradition.    

Partial Bibliography:

Berkeley Daily Gazette 26 May 1936. 

Carl Sammons (1886-1968) (Carmel: Trotter Galleries, 2002). 

Carl Sammons Biographical Summary, N-R (the initials of the unknown author), [Kerwin Galleries, Burlingame, CA] 22 Oct. 2001. 

Durant Review Mar. 1929. 

Los Angeles Times 6 June 1926.

Montgomery Gallery, 21 Oct. 2004 <http://www.montgomerygallery.com/art/artwork.asp?key=201>.

Santa Barbara News Press 25 Nov. 1928, 7 Nov. 1937.

Walter A. Nelson-Rees, Albert Thomas DeRome 1885-1959: Being a Story of His Life and A Picture Diary of His Oils and Watercolors (Oakland, CA: WIM, 1988).