Study, Trees, Santa Barbara, California
February 3, 1888
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Samuel Colman
Accession Number
1939-85-11-a
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Samuel Colman, a prominent American landscape painter and founding member of the American Watercolor Society, created this delicate drawing on February 3, 1888, while visiting Santa Barbara, California. At the time, the 55-year-old artist was exploring the varied terrain of the American West, capturing its distinctive natural features with the sensitivity that defined his later career. The work belongs to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection, generously gifted by the artist’s widow, Mrs. Samuel Colman. As a “study,” the drawing offers an intimate glimpse into Colman’s working proc...