John Sylvan Brown
1868 - 1953
Tryon Peak 1944 watercolor on paper courtesy Cynthia Davis
John Sylvan Brown found himself centered into the art scene of Tryon later in life with airy depictions of the soft mountain scenery he loved to paint. His artistic career was steadfast and modest, with his works privately collected by beloved friends and artists he had come to know.
Born in 1868 in Nebraska City, Nebraska, Brown was the grandchild of an early settler. His family had helped build the infrastructure of the city and established the first Methodist church. His youth was immersed in the company of the outdoors and he preferred to spend his time playing in the woods with indigenous Americans instead of sitting in a classroom. He did not delve into his love of painting until later in life after he had met his wife.
John had met his wife Rebecca Saxman when she had traveled out west after her graduation from Chatham University. They married in 1895 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and they returned to Omaha, Nebraska, where John’s parents and family were living. While in Nebraska John and Rebecca had 2 children, Hamlin and Catherine Brown. In the early 1900s Brown and his wife relocated with their children to Chicago, and J.S. worked for Ryerson Steel Co. It was in Chicago that J.S. began taking night classes at the Art Institute after encouragement from his wife. A budding love of art was born, and Brown not only pursued his passion for art during this time, but a love for creating in general. His daughter Jane Brown was born in Chicago in 1914 and would later become an important photographer in Tryon.
JS Brown was known for his sense of humor and pranks. Here he and Rebecca are dressing as each other. courtesy Laura Brown Baseggio
In 1916 John and Rebecca established the Arrow Tool Manufacturing Company in Chicago. He and his family lived in the Chicago suburb of La Grange, and during this time, Brown patented and invented several unique tools used for the blacksmithing and railroad industries. The foundation of this company helped support his family and paved the road for future technologies within industries he worked in. His love of art continued through the classes he was taking at the Art Institute of Chicago. While living in La Grange, John was an avid founder and supporter of the La Grange Art League, and his career as a painter began to blossom. He was featured in two prominent shows for the Art League, first for the Straus & Steam Furniture Gallery, where paintings from Brown as well as his son-in-law Alfred C. Hockings were on display. Later on, in 1943, the Art League featured Brown in his first solo exhibition where 100 of his works were on view. The La Grange Art League was notably fond of Brown and his avid contributions artistically and financially to the foundation that promoted artistry in their town. J.S. retired from Arrow Tool Manufacturing in 1930, and his son Hamlin Brown took over as CEO.
Like many successful Chicago area businessmen, the Browns purchased a Michigan summer cottage on the shore of Lake Michigan in the resort Castle Park. This resort was established by Carter Brown (no relation), who ran Pine Crest Inn in Tryon as a winter resort. JS began visiting Tryon, North Carolina in the early 1930's with winters spent at Pine Crest until he purchased his permanent home there in 1945. Brown’s shows were a success, and his move into the Tryon Arts Scene was smooth and well suited. In 1944, John and Alfred Hockings exhibited in a joint show at Pine Crest in Tryon.
"The Brown Cottage" Castle Park, Michigan 1928
California Mission oil on canvas
courtesy Cynthia Davis
John and Rebecca, with daughter Jane, were intrepid travelers to western Canada and the American Southwest. Brown was intrigued by old Spanish missions and painted many in Arizona, Texas and California. In 1917 their Chicago friend Edgar Payne (1882 – 1947) established his Laguna Beach winter studio (while maintaining another in Chicago’s famous Tree Studio building) and became a major influence for American landscape painters who weren’t interested in pursuing Abstraction. Though Brown didn’t imitate Payne’s work, the plein air methods inspired him and he assembled a fine collection of Payne’s now-very-valuable canvases. Photography was already a “serious art form” accepted by creative people in California; Jane became enamored of it and became adept at film-making too.
Brown adored the time he spent outside plein air painting. The serene scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains nestled John into his art practice, where he would utilize watercolor or oil paints to portray their beauty. He began a daily ritual of painting until his death in 1953, diagnosed with emphysema.
Tryon Cabin watercolor on paper courtesy Cynthia Davis
Rebecca Saxman Brown and John Sylvan Brown
John Sylvan Brown’s work is duly remembered by those who knew him, and appreciated at great length for the timeless beauty his work exudes. His work plays an ample role in the legacy of Tryon, portraying stunning landscapes of the area in an exact and indelible manner.
Carrie Baseggio (JS Brown's great-great-granddaughter)
Cynthia Davis (JS Brown's great-granddaughter)
