James Swinnerton was born in Eureka, California on November 13, 1875. Swinnerton was raised in Santa Clara and began his art studies at the San Francisco School of Design under Emil Carlsen. At the age of 17 he was employed as a cartoonist for the San Francisco Examiner and then moved to New York where he continued as a cartoonist for Hearst newspapers. He became nationally famous for such cartoons as "Little Jimmy", "Canyon Kiddies" and "Little Tiger." Ill with tuberculosis, he moved to Palm Springs in 1903 to recuperate. The desert restored his health and inspired him to become a landscape painter. His early works were often signed with a large red "S" and some of his best works were produced in the 1920's. He maintained a home in Palo Alto while traveling throughout the Southwest painting desert scenes. He made frequent trips to the Navajo country and Swinnerton Arch in Monument Valley is named for him. Swinnerton died in Palm Springs on September 5, 1974.
Biography courtesy of DeRu's Fine Arts, www.antiquesandfineart.com/derus
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