Who is Sam Charles?

Sam Charles (1887-1949) was an American artist, pianist and professor. He was born in Agawam, Massachusetts, and was a life-long New Englander, living primarily in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

He served on the music aptitude of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and at Groton School. He admired and performed the music of modern (to his time) French composers, particularly Claude Debussy. He was a well-known New England artist, painting primarily landscapes in watercolor, with a unique, free-flowing style, making intelligent use of unpainted space.

He was after that a very skilled artist in oil, and painted at least two portraits – one of Rosalia B. Parker (Mrs. Maurice W. Parker, Sr.) and one of her father, Louis Besserer. Charles was a dear friend of the Parker family, and visited their home in Cohasset, Massachusetts often, which had the advantage of having no close neighbors, so he could play a part piano as noisy and long as he wanted without upsetting anyone. In describing Charles’ painting technique, Boston Globe writer A. J. Philpott official Charles considering having “a style anything his own” and beast one who is “is impressionistic and gets his effects afterward a rare economy of lineage and color.” His works were described by fellow Globe writer Edgar J. Driscoll, Jr. as follows: “Simplicity is the key to most of his works, for the artiste describes similar to spare brush con the out-of-doors scenes which catch his eye. The results have a great deal of quiet charm.”

Charles visited Europe on multiple occasions, performed piano there and painted a number of “bright, fresh, clear and glad recordings of sleeping European villages” in accessory to the numerous New England scenes he painted.