Name/Title
Untitled Etching, Samuel ChamberlainEntry/Object ID
2022.2.85.1Context
Samuel Chamberlain was born in Iowa in 1895 but was raised in Washington. In 1915, he entered the architectural program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His education was interrupted by
World War I, when he joined the American Field Service - Volunteer Ambulance Corps and soon found himself driving an ambulance in France. Louis Bromfield was also an ambulance driver in France during the war. It is possible that the two men met at that time.
At the war's conclusion, Chamberlain returned to Washington, where he found work as a commercial artist and as a renderer for several architectural firms. However, he had fallen in love with France and, in 1922, returned there. He would spend most of the next twelve years in that country, only returning to the United States for brief stays when he taught classes at MIT and Michigan. In 1927 he won a Guggenheim grant to study in London at the Royal Academy.
In the 1920s, Chamberlain studied various printmaking techniques in Paris, becoming exceptionally proficient at producing etchings of architectural subjects. In 1922 Chamberlain married Narcissa Gellatly. During their years in France, he and Narsissa traveled widely throughout Europe, with Chamberlain sketching. The couple also socialized with many ex-patriot Americans, including Alexander Calder, Gertrude Stein, and Louis Bromfield. In 1930 he purchased a home in Senlis, the same small town near Paris where the Bromfield family lived.
In 1934 Chamberlain returned to the United States, secured a teaching position at MIT, and settled permanently in Marblehead.
From 1935 onward, although he continued with printmaking, Chamberlain's interests turned to photography. He published many photography books, focusing on various subjects related to architecture and interior design. In addition, in partnership with his wife Narcissa, he published a popular series of travel books on France, Italy, and England. The Chamberlains also wrote several books on regional foods and wines. Either on his own or in collaboration with his wife, Chamberlain published 80 books.
Samuel Chamberlain was a member of the National Academy of Design and the American Institute of Architects. He died on January 11, 1975, in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
- Adapted from research and text by Thomas Bachelder of the Malabar Farm FoundationLocation
Building
The Big HouseOhio State Park
Malabar Farm State Park