Samuel Colman
(1832-1920)

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Samuel Colman was an American painter of the Hudson River School. Colman was born in Portland, Maine but moved to New York City as a child. Colman was exposed to art and literature from an early age, studying under well-known artists such as Asher Durand. In 1850 Colman exhibited for the first time at the National Academy of Design.

In 1854 Colman started his own studio on New York City, where he was able to execute his large-scale landscape paintings. Colman continued to exhibit and became a full member of the National Academy by 1862.

While Colman maintained a studio in New York City, he was a constant traveler. Most of his paintings depicted landscapes from American wilderness or international cities and ports. Colman loved travelling to Europe, particularly France and Spain. Colman was intrigued by historical structures such as castles and aqueducts. By 1870 Colman began to explore the wild west of the United States, painting the mountainous landscape.

Colman is most known for his involvement in the Hudson River School. Colman would take excursions outside of New York City to document scenes around the Hudson and the northeast. Colman painted the intricate ships that would come in and out of the Hudson harbors.

From 1861 to 1871 Colman served as co-founder and president of the American Watercolor Society. Colman also became a member of the New York Etching Club, expanding his portfolio of work on paper. Colman received additional commissions as an interior designer, working with Louis Comfort Tiffany to design homes in and around New York City.

The landscape painting of Colman are now in major museum collections around the United States, including the Smithsonian American Art Collection in Washington DC. Do you think you own a painting by Samuel Colman? Contact us. We are the experts on Samuel Colman.