Gardner Symons

George Hurrell
Gardner Symons
Gelatin silver print, 1928
9 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches
Gift of Jennings T. Bird
1950.024.012

George Gardner Symons was one of the earliest American artists to visit California, coming here from Chicago in 1894 accompanied by his friend and fellow artist William Wendt. A classic American impressionist, Symons worked exclusively in landscape and seascape. He built a home in Arch Beach in 1903 and thereafter became a bicoastal artist. In Laguna Beach, he painted the rocky shorelines and coves. In the East, he painted the countryside, often in winter when the hillsides were covered in snow.