Sydney J. Yard

• Name — Sydney J. Yard • Birth Name — Sydney Jones Yard • Born — November 5, 1855 • Birthplace — Rockford, Illinois, U.S. • Died — January 2, 1909 • Place of death — Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, U.S. • Known for — Watercolor painting • Occupation — Painter • Children — 1 • Relatives — Charles Chapel Judson (son-in-law)

Sydney Jones Yard was born on November 5, 1855, in Rockford, Illinois. He was the son of William K. Yard and Mary Ann Jones. Yard was first married to Carrie E. Millard in 1877, but she died on August 27, 1894. After the death of his wife, Yard moved to San Jose, California with his daughter, Bessie. He remarried to Fannie M. Estabrook on July 18, 1898, in Santa Clara, California. Yard was married twice.

Yard was trained as a painter in Chicago, Illinois and New York, New York and then in England with artist Harold Sutton Palmer (1853–1933). He became a master of English watercolor technique. He was also an oil painter. His works were in the Tonalist tradition of George Inness and William Keith, where the emphasis was on painting modest, Barbizon influenced scenes, rendered in warm tones. Yard's watercolors were of the eucalyptus, oaks, and the cypress trees. In 1882, Yard moved to California and joined a partnership with photographer Andrew Putman Hill (1853–1922). They had portrait studios in San Jose, California and Palo Alto, California. In 1892, the two men exhibited photographs of Santa Clara County, California at the California State Fair in Sacramento, California, including views of the Santa Clara Valley region, Santa Cruz Mountains, and the Mission Church in Santa Cruz. Yard ended his partnership with Hill along with his career as a professional photographer as he became more successful in exhibiting his watercolors and oil paintings in San Francisco, California. In 1883, he had a showing at the San Francisco Art Association's spring and winter exhibitions. In 1897 and 1898 his work showed at the winter exhibitions at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art in San Francisco. That show included his watercolors, Coast Near Pacific Grove and In the Santa Cruz Mountains. Critic Lucy B. Jerome reviewed his work and said, "The delicate vernal greens and pale tints of the quiet pastorla scene impress one with the mellowness and ripeness of the painter's conception." • Illustration — Forest and lake scene by Sydney J. Yard Yard sold some of his works at the Schussler Galleries in San Francisco. While in San Francisco, Yard taught painters like Laura W. Maxwell, who later followed him to Carmel after he settled there. By 1895, Yard had dissolved his partnership with Hill. In 1897, he opened his own art studio in San Jose. In June 1899, Yard applied for a passport. He traveled to London, England and sketched landscapes in Scotland. Shortly after his return, in April 1900, Yard had a solo exhibition at the Vickery, Atkins & Torrey gallery in San Francisco. The San Francisco Call gave the following review: Yard moved to Monterey, California in 1900. He painted watercolors of the sea, pine trees, and the rocky shores. In Pacific Grove, California he painted a scene of pine trees in shadows and sunlight. Yard continued to live and paint in San Jose until he moved to Oakland, California in 1904, and opened a studio in the Montgomery Block in San Francisco and began teaching. In Oakland he exhibited at the Oakland Art Fund in 1904. There he became friends with Mary DeNeale Morgan and Charles Chapel Judson. At the Oakland Art Fund, Yard displayed six paintings. • Illustration — The Lone Oak, watercolor on board (ca. 1907) In 1905, Yard relocated to the art colony of Carmel-by-the-Sea where he purchased a cottage. He survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Yard's decision to move his studio in Carmel influenced artists like Laura W. Maxwell to follow suit. In 1908, Yard designed a larger house on Lincoln Street and 7th Avenue in Carmel. Michael J. Murphy (builder) built it. He later added an art studio, where he had regular showings. He showed his work at the Del Monte Art Gallery between 1907 and 1909. In 1908, Yard exhibited at the Hotel Del Monte, the Oakland Free Library and the Berkley Art Association. He was a member and curator for annual exhibitions at the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club. Yard's last major show was at the Vickery, Atkins & Torrey in San Francisco in 1908. Critics said it was "the most important collection of Yard's work ever presented at one time."