Catalogue entry

Newton B. Drury, the original owner, was the fourth Director of the National Park Service from 1940 until 1951. Previously, he had served as the executive secretary of the Save the Redwoods League (founded in 1918) from 1919 until 1939.

In June and July, 1925, Widforss was painting redwoods in Humboldt County, California. In a letter, dated July 7th, Newton Drury wrote to John C. Merriam, President of the Carnegie Institute, about plans to visit the area and to meet up with Widforss,  “Gunnar Widforss, the well-known painter, is making studies of the Redwoods in the Dyerville-Bull Creek region – has been staying at the Schnelling Hotel, McKee's, near Dyerville." (Newton Drury Letter to John C. Merriam, July 7, 1925).

Ten days later, Louis Sands and his family from Glendale, Arizona (who had first met the artist at Grand Canyon in 1923) visited with Widforss as recorded in one of the rich scrapbooks documenting their travels –  "Louis M. Sands purchased Gunnar Widforss' watercolor painting of the Redwoods from him where he was working at Schilling's Inn between Scotia and Garberville California on July 17, 1925. The painting cost $100.00.” That painting is Redwoods (1162) .

Photograph from one of the scrapbooks of Frances Porter Sands records Gunnar Widforss with the three Sands children in Dyerville California on July 17.

• Subject: 
  • Redwoods »