Camille Solon Drawings Collection, 1900-1952
Special Collections Departments
Robert E. Kennedy Library
1 Grand Avenue
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0605
Phone: (805) 756-2305
Fax: (805) 756-5770
URL: http://www.lib.calpoly.edu/specialcollections/
Email: archives@calpoly.edu
© 2008
Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Camille Solon Drawings Collection, 1900-1952
Special Collections Department
Robert E. Kennedy Library
1 Grand Avenue
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Contact Information
- Special Collections Department
- Robert E. Kennedy Library
- 1 Grand Avenue
- California Polytechnic State University
- San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
- Phone: 805/756-2305
- Fax: 805/756-5770
- Email: archives@calpoly.edu
- URL: http://www.lib.calpoly.edu/departments/special_collections/index.html
- Processed by:
- Denise Fourie and Catherine Trujillo
- Date Completed:
- 2008
- Encoded by:
- Byte Managers, 2008
© 2008 Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Camille Solon Drawings Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1900-1952 (bulk 1910-1913; 1950-1952)
Collection number: MS 106
Creator:
Solon, Camille Antoine Arnoux, 1877-1960
Extent:
6 boxes.
Language:
English
Repository:
Special Collections, Robert E. Kennedy Library
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, California 93407
Abstract: This collection contains approximately 225 landscape sketches by English muralist and ceramist Camille Solon. Items in the
collection include re-worked pencil sketches of rural locations and landscapes in Britain and northern California, where he
lived most of his adult years. Despite his extensive work at San Simeon, this collection contains only one pencil sketch from
the Hearst estate. A few watercolors and some conté crayon sketches with ink are also included in the collection. Donated
in 2001.
Provenance
Donated in 2001.
Access
Collection is open to qualified researchers by appointment only. Form more information on access policies and to obtain a
copy of the Researcher Registration form, please visit the Special Collections Access page. Advance notice for use required.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
In order to reproduce, publish, broadcast, exhibit, and/or quote from this material, researchers must submit a written request
and obtain formal permission from Special Collections, Cal Poly, as the owner of the physical collection.
Photocopying of material is permitted at staff discretion and provided on a fee basis. Photocopies are not to be used for
any purpose other than for private study, scholarship, or research. Special Collections staff reserves the right to limit
photocopying and deny access or reproduction in cases when, in the opinion of staff, the original materials would be harmed.
Preferred Citation
Camille Solon Drawings Collection, Special Collections, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Abbreviations Used:
c.: circa
calif.: California
w/: with
n.pag.: no page
Biographical Note
Muralist and ceramist Camille Solon was born March 27, 1877, in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, a region known for
its potteries. A descendant of the Arnoux family, master ceramists in France, Camille was one of nine children born to Louis
Marc Solon and Laure Arnoux Solon. Solon's father was an award-winning potter famous for the "pâte-sur-pâte" technique. Many
of Camille Solon's siblings became respected artisans as well. Camille studied under his father and in London at the Slade
School and University College.
In 1914, at the age of 37, Camille emigrated to California to work with his brother, Albert, on a ceramic therapy program
for tuberculosis patients at the Arequipa Sanatorium in Fairfax, California. Under Albert Solon's supervision and with financial
support from Phoebe Apperson Hearst, the pottery gained a reputation for producing a wide variety of successful styles and
designs.
In 1915, at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, the Arequipa Tuberculosis Sanatorium exhibited their
ceramic works in the fair's Palace of Education. The Arequipa pottery ceased operation in 1918.
By 1920, Albert Solon and his partner Frank Schemmel formed Solon and Schemmel in San Jose, California, to manufacture wall
and floor tiles. Tiles from Solon and Schemmel can be found at William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate. It is likely that
Camille Solon worked for his brother's tile company during its early years of operation.
Camille Solon was retained by San Simeon's architect, Julia Morgan, to design the mosaics of blue-and-gold Venetian glass
tile used in the Roman Pool. During his decade or more in Hearst's employment, Solon also designed and painted the murals
in the Gothic Study of Casa Grande, as well as other decorative detail work on the estate.
In the early 1940s, Solon worked with Julia Morgan again to design murals and ceiling decorative details for the Chapel of
the Chimes crematorium in Oakland. Other notable Bay Area work of Solon's includes "The Creation," an interior mural in the
Temple of Religion and Tower of Peace building at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco.
Solon married Sylvia Wallace, a fellow British immigrant, in 1920. In his later years, Solon suffered from failing eyesight
and used a German shepherd guide dog to aid him. Camille Solon passed away in Marin County on January 8, 1960.
Sources
"Artist Solon Dies at 82 After Illness."
Marin Independent Journal 9 January 1960: no pag.
Atkisson, Barbara. "Artist in Hearst's Castle."
San Francisco News 25 April 1958: no pag.
Aviles, Brian A., Philip W. Johnson, and Robert C. Pavlik.
Tile & Terracotta In San Luis Obispo County. Healdsburg, CA: The Heritage Foundation, 1996.
California Death Index, 1940-1997, Ancestry.com
"Camille Solon: San Simeon Muralist Dies."
San Francisco Examiner 10 January 1960: Sec 1, pg. 10.
Commanday, Mary Floris. Camille Antoine (Arnoux) Solon. Piedmont, CA.: Commanday, 1989. [self-published]
Hunter, Stanley Armstrong.
Temple of Religion and Tower of Peace at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. San Francisco: Temple of Religion and Tower of Peace, Inc., 1940.
"M. V. Artist—Solon Decorates Larkspur Altar".
Mill Valley Record 10 January 1940: no pag.
Official Guide Book, 1940: Golden Gate International Exposition on San Francisco Bay. San Francisco: The Crocker Company,
1940.
"Pacific Coast News." [column]
The Clay-Worker February 1929: 181.
Pavlik, Robert C. "The Tile Art of San Simeon."
Tile Heritage IV.2 (Winter 1997/1998): 3-11.
U. S. Census of Population, 1920, 1930, Ancestry.com
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains approximately 225 sketches by artist Camille Solon, whose work appears throughout the Hearst estate
at San Simeon, California. This collection consists primarily of re-worked pencil sketches of rural locations and landscapes
in Britain and northern California including his native Stoke-on-Trent, England; Northern Wales; and Marin and Sonoma Counties
north of San Francisco (where he lived his adult years). There is one pencil sketch of the Hearst estate at San Simeon, California.
There are also a few watercolors and some conté crayon sketches with ink. The earliest piece in the collection is dated 1900.
The sketches were originally housed in three-ring binders. They have been removed from the binders and rehoused in their original
order in acid-free folders.
The original binder names have been retained as headings for Subseries B. Mill Valley [California] Sketches and Subseries
D. Sketches, 1952. The binder for Subseries A entitled Sonoma/Conway has been renamed British Sketches and the binder for
Subseries C Belvedere Sketches has been renamed California Sketches to more accurately reflect their contents.
Many sketches have handwritten titles and these are noted in the guide. Sketches that are untitled have descriptions in brackets
which were added for ease of identification. The majority of the works are pencil sketches; the few watercolor and conté crayon
pieces have been noted in the folder level descriptions.
Where possible, the provenance, or original organization, of the papers has been preserved. The collection is housed in six
boxes and arranged in one series:
Series 1. Sketches, 1900-1952
The series is divided into four subseries:
A. British Sketches
B. Mill Valley [California] Sketches
C. California Sketches
D. Sketches and Inventory, 1952.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Artisans -- California -- San Simeon
Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951 -- Homes and haunts -- California - Drawings
San Simeon Ranch (California) -- History -- Drawings
Solon, Camille Antoine Arnoux, 1877-1960
England -- Drawings
Wales -- Drawings
Marin County (California) -- Drawings
Landscape painting
Genre and Forms of Materials
Pencil sketches
Watercolors
Conté crayon sketches with ink
Related Material
Related Collections:
Special Collections, Cal Poly:
Julia Morgan Papers (MS 10)
Julia Morgan—Sara Holmes Boutelle Collection, 1877-1958 (MS 27)
Sara Holmes Boutelle Papers, 1972-1999 (MS 141)
Edward G. Trinkkeller Papers, 1896-1999 (MS 97)
1. Sketches and Paintings,
1900-1952
Scope and Content Note
Contains four subseries: A. British Sketches, B. Mill Valley [California] Sketches, C. California Sketches, and D. Sketches
and Inventory, 1952.
A. British Sketches,
1900-1952
Scope and Content Note
Contains primarily sketches from England and Wales arranged in original order. Many folders contain as many as five small
sketches, which were glued to both sides of a scrapbook sheet. 2 boxes.
Box 1, Folder 2
Untitled [bridge, convent]
Box 1, Folder 2
Untitled [bridge, pine trees]
Box 1, Folder 3
Draycott Cross in Distance
Box 1, Folder 3
Untitled,
1910
Scope and Content Note
[child, trees]
Box 1, Folder 4
Old Wych Elms. Leigh,
1910
Box 1, Folder 5
Chadwick's Farm, Alton. 41- per day
Box 1, Folder 6
Hollington, Staffordshire
Box 1, Folder 8
Untitled [landscape, bare trees with figures]
Box 1, Folder 9
Untitled,
1912
Scope and Content Note
[figure with dog]
Box 1, Folder 9
Conway,
1914
Scope and Content Note
[Aber Conway, built A.D. 1300]
Box 1, Folder 10
From top of Snowdon (13),
1913
Box 1, Folder 10
Conway,
1913
Scope and Content Note
[landscape, low tide, very small]
Box 1, Folder 11
Conway,
1913
Scope and Content Note
[fishermen with boat and nets]
Box 1, Folder 12
Conway,
1913
Scope and Content Note
[2 trees]
Box 1, Folder 12
Conway,
1913
Scope and Content Note
[boats]
Box 1, Folder 12
Untitled [bayscape, very small]
Box 1, Folder 14
Milwich, The pond and rustic bridge,
1907
Box 1, Folder 14
Untitled, [subject unknown]
Box 1, Folder 14
Milwich Hall, The greenhouse,
1907
Box 1, Folder 15
Milwich,
1913
Scope and Content Note
[lane, fence, buildings]
Box 1, Folder 16
Nell of Milwich Hall [mending cloth]
Box 1, Folder 17
First sketch of Milwich Hall, home of Sir John Knight and Mr. and Mr. Coupe from Smithy Hill
Box 1, Folder 19
Garden. Milwich Hall,
1913
Scope and Content Note
[also at top: Milwich Hall, 1907, 1912-1913]
Box 1, Folder 19
Milwich Hall,
1907
Scope and Content Note
[chimney]
Box 1, Folder 19
Milwich Hall,
1907
Scope and Content Note
[side of house, roof]
Box 1, Folder 19
Untitled,
1907
Scope and Content Note
[side of house, grounds]
Box 1, Folder 20
Untitled [hall, woman picking flowers; watercolor],
1912
Box 1, Folder 20
Milwich, window seat,
1912
Scope and Content Note
[potted flower]
Box 1, Folder 20
Untitled [hall, cart with horse; corner torn]
Box 1, Folder 21
Head of Shakespeare, in garden at Milwich Hall,
1913
Box 1, Folder 21
Untitled [girl sketching]
Box 2, Folder 1
Glossary of place names used in sketches and a map of Staffordshire, England
Box 2, Folder 4
Norbury Church, Ellaston in distance,
1905
Box 2, Folder 5
Gardening,
October 9, 1952
Box 2, Folder 6
Untitled [shrouded figures on steps]
Box 2, Folder 7
From Homestead Blvd., M.V. [Mill Valley],
September 17, 1951
Box 2, Folder 9
Untitled [vase with blooming bulb flowers],
January 30, 1925
Box 2, Folder 9
Untitled [distant house in landscape]
Box 2, Folder 10
Untitled [landscape with animals, grid lines]
Box 2, Folder 10
Untitled [landscape with animals]
Box 2, Folder 11
Untitled [landscape with animals]
Box 2, Folder 11
Untitled [landscape with boy]
Box 2, Folder 11
Untitled [animal crossing river]
Box 2, Folder 12
Untitled [figure in field]
Box 2, Folder 13
Evening Light on the Hills,
July 31, 1951
Box 2, Folder 14
Untitled [tree with figures]
Box 2, Folder 15
Untitled [landscape with animal]
Box 2, Folder 18
Untitled [rooftop of barn]
Box 2, Folder 20
Cotton College (1887- 1893),
1909
B. Mill Valley Sketches,
1940-1952
Scope and Content Note
Contains sketches of places in and around Solon's neighborhood of Mill Valley, California, in Marin Co., arranged in original
order. 2 boxes.
Box 3, Folder 1
Mill Valley Sketches [cover sheet]
Box 3, Folder 2
S.F. From Alto [Marin County]
Box 3, Folder 3
Untitled [landscape and houses; conté crayon]
Box 3, Folder 5
Untitled [child fishing; conté crayon]
Box 3, Folder 8
Untitled [landscape; conté crayon]
Box 3, Folder 9
Untitled [people on woodland path; conté crayon]
Box 3, Folder 10
Untitled [child on tree stump; conté crayon]
Box 3, Folder 11
Untitled [squirrel in foreground; conté crayon]
Box 3, Folder 12
Untitled [figure on fallen log; conté crayon]
Box 3, Folder 13
Untitled [children and squirrel by tree stump]
Box 4, Folder 2
At Corte Madera,
October, 1940
Box 4, Folder 3
Mt. Diabglo [sic] from Ethel Ave.,
September 11, 1951
Box 4, Folder 4
Untitled [girl feeding ducks]
Box 4, Folder 5
From Corte Madera Road,
June 12, 1951
Box 4, Folder 6
Sun Setting on the Quarry--Near California City,
June 14, 1951
Box 4, Folder 9
Untitled [girl on tree stump]
Box 4, Folder 10
Blythedale Grove, M.V. [Mill Valley],
August 1, 1951
Box 4, Folder 12
At the Beach,
December, 1952
Box 4, Folder 14
Watering the Cows,
December, 1952
Box 4, Folder 15
Under the Old Oak Tree,
December, 1952
Box 4, Folder 16
Tiburon Road,
January 17, 1952
Box 4, Folder 17
Belvedere,
October 28, 1951
Box 4, Folder 18
Untitled [figures at lakeshore; conté crayon]
Box 4, Folder 21
Belvedere [pencil and ink]
Box 4, Folder 21
Untitled [figures on shore] [on verso]
Box 4, Folder 24
Going to Church,
November, 1952
Box 4, Folder 26
Shoeing the Old Mare,
October, 1952
C. California Sketches,
1949-1952
Scope and Content Note
Contains many sketches of places in Marin Co.; also includes sketches of Isle of Man (England) and one sketch of Hearst's
San Simeon estate, arranged in original order. 1 box.
Box 5, Folder 1
Belvedere Sketches by Camille Solon [cover sheet]
Box 5, Folder 2
Untitled [mountainscape; watercolor]
Box 5, Folder 3
Untitled [village with oxen; watercolor]
Box 5, Folder 5
The Sleepy Hills,
June 25
Box 5, Folder 6
Untitled [Golden Gate Bridge from Marin Co.],
April 12, 1949
Box 5, Folder 7
Untitled [hills, tree, house]
Box 5, Folder 8
La Cuesta Encantada, W. R. Hearst Ranch,
December 2, 1952
Box 5, Folder 11
Laxey, I.O.M. [Island of Man],
1911,
October 25, 1952
Box 5, Folder 12
Drayton Manor,
October 1952
Box 5, Folder 14
North Wales,
October 1952
Box 5, Folder 16
Alto [Marin County],
April 1949
Box 5, Folder 17
Lagoon, Belvedere,
July 1950
Box 5, Folder 18
The Creek,
August 10, 1951
Box 5, Folder 19
Untitled [bay scene with figures]
Box 5, Folder 21
The Terrace at "Highlands",
1951
Box 5, Folder 23
Hiking and Fishing,
November 22, 1952
Box 5, Folder 24
California Farm,
October 13, 1951
Box 5, Folder 25
Untitled [bayside, boats and pier]
Box 5, Folder 26
Untitled [road with cart]
Box 5, Folder 27
Evening [landscape in grid]
Box 5, Folder 28
Convict Ship Douglas, I.O.M. [Isle of Man],
October 1952
Box 5, Folder 29
From Corte Madera Road,
June 1951
Box 5, Folder 30
Belvedere,
December 5, 1951
Box 5, Folder 32
Untitled [clouds over bay]
Box 5, Folder 33
Old Mill Grounds,
July 9, 1951
D. Sketches and Inventory,
1952
Scope and Content Note
Contains a handwritten inventory for Solon's sketches from 1952, with titles of each sketch and a number listed. The contents
of this inventory do not match the holdings of this subseries. Several of the listed sketches appear to have been moved by
Solon to some of the other subseries. 1 box.
Box 6, Folder 4
Peaceful Evening in Wales,
October 1952
Box 6, Folder 5
Showery Weather,
October 10, 1952
Box 6, Folder 6
Grazing,
November 18, 1952
Box 6, Folder 8
Cottagers,
October 4, 1952
Box 6, Folder 11
Muir Beach,
September 25 1952
Box 6, Folder 12
Clam Digging,
October 1952
Box 6, Folder 13
The Ruined Mill, Pwllheli [Wales],
October 1952
Box 6, Folder 14
The Walls. Chester,
October 1952
Box 6, Folder 15
Gypsies. Deganwy, N.W. [North Wales],
October 1952
Box 6, Folder 16
Boats on the Conway,
October 1952
Box 6, Folder 17
The Abandoned Quarry,
October 1952
Box 6, Folder 18
The Cottage by the Lake,
November 1, 1952
Box 6, Folder 19
Hot Summer Day,
November 10, 1952
Box 6, Folder 20
Holiday Time,
November 2, 1952
Box 6, Folder 21
A Breezy Day at the Beach,
November 1952
Box 6, Folder 22
Conway Castle-Moonlight,
November 2, 1952
Box 6, Folder 23
Waterfall and Rainbow Welsh Mountains,
November 3, 1952
Box 6, Folder 25
The Road Across the Common,
November 1952
Box 6, Folder 26
Harvesting,
November 1952
Box 6, Folder 27
Hi! Clouds Lo! City,
November 15, 1952
Box 6, Folder 28
Sunday Worship,
November 1952
Box 6, Folder 29
The Little Shepherdess,
November 21
Box 6, Folder 31
Sailing,
November 23, 1952
Box 6, Folder 32
Chill December,
November 1952
Box 6, Folder 33
Evening Across the Conway,
December 1, 1952
Box 6, Folder 34
Little Girl in Muir Woods,
December 1952
Box 6, Folder 35
The Disappearing Road,
December 1952
