Orrin Augustine White (American, 1883-1969), Autumn, Sycamores

Oil on canvas, signed at lower right, inscribed to top stretcher, presented in the likely original frame.

Stretcher size 36 x 36 in.; Frame dimensions 41 1/2 x 41 1/2 in.

Orrin Augustine White was a nationally recognized landscape painter associated with Southern California. Born in Hanover, Illinois, he earned a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1902 and studied textile design at the Philadelphia School of Applied Arts until 1906. He initially pursued careers in chemistry and textile design, serving as an assistant professor of chemistry at Portland University and working in his family’s woolen mill, before relocating to Los Angeles in 1912. There he worked in interior design while painting landscapes in his spare time. After exhibiting at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915, he committed himself to painting full time.

White’s career was interrupted by World War I, during which he served as a second lieutenant in the 40th Engineers Camouflage Corps in Washington, D.C., alongside artists including Grant Wood and Charles P. Kilgore. The three later exhibited together in 1933, having served in the same camouflage unit. After the war, White settled in Pasadena, building a studio-home in 1923 and making regular painting trips to Palm Springs, the Sierra Nevada, and Mexico. Known for bold, decorative landscapes marked by strong design and vibrant color, he achieved national recognition during his lifetime.

Good estate condition; no condition concerns to note.