Sam Doyle (SC, 1906-1985), F. Capers First

Lot Details & Additional Photographs

Polychrome paint on tin panel, signed at lower right, titled to the upper register, unframed.

52 x 26 in.

Private Collection, Chicago and North Carolina

Purchased directly from the artist in May of 1984 in Frogmore, South Carolina.

Exhibited: Carl Hammer Gallery, May 11-June 29, 2018. Howard Finster: Man of Visions. Also works by William Dawson, Albert "Kid" Mertz. From the Floyd and Victoria Wike Collection.

Sam Doyle was a self-taught American folk artist from St. Helena Island, South Carolina, whose vividly colored paintings chronicle the people, history, and traditions of the island’s Gullah community. Often working on salvaged materials such as corrugated roofing tin or wooden panels, Doyle created bold compositions depicting an eclectic range of subjects, from historical figures to beloved local personalities.

Educated at the historic Penn School, one of the first institutions founded to educate formerly enslaved Africans following the Civil War, Doyle developed an early interest in art and history before leaving school to work. After years of employment in Beaufort and at the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot, he returned to St. Helena Island and devoted himself fully to painting. Doyle produced hundreds of works, often displaying them in the yard of his home, which became an informal outdoor gallery. His work gained national recognition following its inclusion in the landmark 1982 exhibition Black Folk Art in America, 1930–1980 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Today, his paintings are held in major museum collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the High Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and are celebrated for their enduring record of Gullah culture and community life.

This work depicts Frank Capers, a figure who appears frequently in Sam Doyle’s paintings, and was believed by locals to be the first Black barber on St. Helena Island. Doyle often highlighted notable members of the island community, including doctors, midwives, and tradesmen. Like many of Doyle’s portraits, his depictions of Capers incorporate subtle suggestions about the subject’s personality, blending humor and social commentary with occasional references to romantic relationships.

Good estate condition, minor flaking and scuffs.