Samuel Hyde Harris (9 February 1889 – 30 May 1977) was an American painter known for impressionist paintings of California in the 20th century as well as a successful career as a commercial artist. He was a member of the

California Art Club The California Art Club (CAC) is one of the oldest and most active arts organizations in California. Founded in December 1909, it celebrated its centennial in 2009 and into the spring of 2010. The California Art Club originally evolved out of The ...

Early life

Sam Hyde Harris was born in Brentford, Middlesex, England, on February 9, 1889. His parents were David Remnant Harris and Eliza Hyde Harris. His mother died when he was only three years old, leaving his father to care for seven children. He began working as an artist at a very young age. His family emigrated to the United States in November 1903, where they settled in Los Angeles. He continued working as an artist and sign painter in the Los Angeles area. He enrolled in classes at the Art Students' League of Los Angeles and the Cannon Art School. He studied with

Stanton Macdonald-Wright Stanton Macdonald-Wright (July 8, 1890 – August 22, 1973), was a modern American artist. He was a co-founder of Synchromism, an early abstract, color-based mode of painting, which was the first American avant-garde art movement to receive int ...

, Frank Tolles Chamberlain,

Lawrence Murphy Lawrence Gustave Murphy (1831 – October 20, 1878) was an Irish immigrant to the United States, Union Army veteran, Grand Army of the Republic member, Republican Party ward heeler, racketeer, Old West businessman and gunman, and a main i ...

, and

Will Foster Will Foster is an English musician who is known as the former keyboardist for the English rock band The Tears. Previously, he played with UK art rock band Delicatessen before forming Lodger - alongside Delicatessen singer Neil Carlill, Superg ...

. During the 1920s, while working as a professional artist, he studied under

Hanson Puthuff Hanson Duvall Puthuff (August 21, 1875 – May 12, 1972) was a landscape painter and muralist, born in Waverly, Missouri. Puthuff studied at the Art Institute of Chicago before moving to Colorado in 1889 to study at University of Denver Art Scho ...

, and painted with Puthuff,

Edgar Payne Edgar Alwin Payne (1 March 1883 – 8 April 1947) was an American painter. He was known as a Western landscape painter and muralist. Early life Payne was born near Cassville, Barry County, Missouri, in the heart of the Ozarks.. Cassville is in ...

, and

Jean Mannheim Jean Mannheim (November 18, 1863 – September 6, 1945) was a German-born American artist and educator, known for his California Impressionist paintings. He was active in Decatur, Illinois and Pasadena, California. About Jean Mannheim was ...

Commercial career

Throughout his life Sam Hyde Harris produced a large body of commercial work varying in scope from cards for individual store windows to posters produced for national advertising campaigns. Harris is particularly remembered for his posters produced for various rail lines and travel destinations. He worked for the Santa Fe, Union Pacific, and Southern Pacific Railroads. Harris also created the windmill logo for

Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries was a brand of breads and assorted pastry products, frozen fish entrees, and prepared dinners formerly owned by General Baking Established by one of the founders of both Los Angeles' iconic Tam O'Shanter Inn ...

. Harris also created posters for Gilmore Gasoline, Eastside Genuine Bock Beer, Caterpillar, Old Colony Paint, Richfield Oil Corporation, Calirox Fruit Cookies, and Mission Pak Company. A posthumous 2021 exhibit at Casa Romantica highlighted Harris career as a commercial artist.

Teaching career

During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Harris began teaching part time, and continued teaching for the rest of his life. He taught at Chouinard Art Institute, Ebell Club of Los Angeles, the Spectrum Club of Long Beach, the Friday Morning Club of Los Angeles, the Glendale Tuesday Afternoon Club, and the Businessmen's Art Institute of Los Angeles.

Easel Painting

Harris painted non-commercial works throughout his life. His favorite subjects were scenes from his area in southern California, including a series of paintings of Chavez Ravine before it was developed, and paintings of the early Los Angeles industrial landscape. Harris exhibited with the California Art Club, Painters and Sculptors of Southern California, Laguna Beach Art Association, Little Gallery, Probst-Taylor Decorating Company, Pacific Advertising Club Association, Biltmore Salon, San Gabriel Artists' Guild, Hollywood Reviera Beach Club, The Artists Guild of California, South Pasadena Public Library, The Society for Sanity in Art, Armand Duvannes Gallery, and Los Angeles County Museum. Harris won awards from the California Art Club, Laguna Beach Art Association, Los Angeles Art League, Painters and Sculptors Club, Artists of the Southwest, Valley Art Association, and the San Gabriel Festival of Arts.

Legacy

Harris' papers from 1928–1980 are held in the archives of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...

Collections

Harris' work is held in the permanent collection of

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...

and design of the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

References

External links

Sam Hyde Harris, Seeing the Unusual: Historic Sam Hyde Harris collection opens at Casa Romantica this fall

US Dept. of State profile of Sam Hyde Harris

Gallery of paintings by Sam Hyde Harris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Sam Hyde 1889 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American male artists