Camille Solon
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Camille Antoine Arnoux Solon (1877–1960) was a British muralist and ceramist of French descent. He worked in the United Kingdom before emigrating in his 30s to the United States, where he worked with architect
Julia Morgan Julia Morgan (January 20, 1872 – February 2, 1957) was an American architect and engineer. She designed more than 700 buildings in California during a long and prolific career.Erica Reder"Julia Morgan was a local in ''The New Fillmore'', 1 Febr ...
, painting murals and designing tile work for
Hearst Castle Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada ( Spanish for "The Enchanted Hill"), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California. Conceived by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his arc ...
,
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
's estate at
San Simeon, California San Simeon ( Spanish: ''San Simeón'', meaning "St. Simon") is an unincorporated community on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Its position along State Route 1 is about halfway between Los Angeles and San ...
.


Early life

Camille A. Solon was born on 27 March 1877 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the centre of England's pottery industry. He was one of nine children born to Marie Antoinette Laure Arnoux and Louis Marc Solon. His mother was the daughter of Léon Arnoux, art director of
Mintons Mintons was a major company in Staffordshire pottery, "Europe's leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era", an independent business from 1793 to 1968. It was a leader in ceramic design, working in a number of different ceramic bodies, ...
Limited. The Arnoux family had been well established in the European pottery and ceramic industry for over 300 years, dating back to Toulouse in the late seventeenth century. His father had trained at
Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a French Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a populatio ...
and joined Mintons in 1870 at the time of the
Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
. He became the preeminent master of the ''
pâte-sur-pâte ''Pâte-sur-pâte'' is a French term meaning "paste on paste". It is a method of porcelain decoration in which a relief design is created on an unfired, unglazed body, usually with a coloured body, by applying successive layers of (usually) white ...
'' technique of porcelain decoration. Several of Solon's siblings had artistic careers including the eldest
Léon-Victor Solon Léon-Victor Solon (17 April 1873 – 27 December 1957), son of ceramist Marc-Louis Solon, was an English painter, ceramist, and graphic artist. He was a purveyor of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles and an important Modern Style (British Art No ...
. In 1887, at the age of ten, Solon enrolled at
Cotton College Cotton College was a Roman Catholic boarding school in Cotton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It was also known as ''Saint Wilfrid's College''. The school buildings were centred on Cotton Hall, a country house used by religious communities fr ...
, a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
boarding school in a rural part of Staffordshire. He stayed there till 1892.. ''The Cottonian'' (accessed via www.cottoncollege.co.uk) He received tuition in art from his father and later studied at the
Slade School The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...
,
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
.


Career


United Kingdom

In the years leading up to
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Solon lived near Stoke-on-Trent in the village of Draycott in the Moors. The village had a
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
on the Stoke to Derby line and a small Catholic community. Solon is listed as a resident of the village in the 1901 census. His occupation is given as "faience draughtsman". He was still living in the same
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
at the time of the 1911 census, but at a different address, "The Studio", near the railway station. His occupation had also changed to "landscape painter".
1911 United Kingdom census The United Kingdom Census 1911 of 2 April 1911 was the 12th nationwide census conducted in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The total population of the United Kingdom was approximately 45,221,000, with 36,070,000 recorded in England ...


United States

By 1913 when his father died, Camille Solon had brothers working in the United States. In 1914 Camille emigrated to California and joined his younger brother Albert, who was the pottery director at Arequipa Sanatorium near Fairfax. The sanatorium offered a ceramic therapy program for patients recovering from tuberculosis. Albert Solon later founded Solon and Schemmel Tile Company and Camille Solon likely worked at his brother's company early on. Albert's company, now known as Stonelight Tile, is one of only three major California tile manufacturers from the 1920s to have survived to the present.
From 1925-1940 Solon was a designer and art director for
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
at San Simeon. Solon designed the glass tile mosaics, used in the indoor Roman Pool at
Hearst Castle Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada ( Spanish for "The Enchanted Hill"), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California. Conceived by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his arc ...
. The mosaics that cover the walls, ceiling, and pool are made up of one-inch square smalti tiles (glass and fused gold). The inspiration for the designs came from the 5th Century
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a Late Antique Roman building in Ravenna, Italy, built between 425 and 450. It was added to the World Heritage List together with seven other structures in Ravenna in 1996. Despite its common name, the empress Ga ...
where the mosaics are likewise made from glass ''tesserae''. Solon also designed and painted the murals in the Gothic Suite of Casa Grande's private 3rd floor. In the 1940s, he worked with
Julia Morgan Julia Morgan (January 20, 1872 – February 2, 1957) was an American architect and engineer. She designed more than 700 buildings in California during a long and prolific career.Erica Reder"Julia Morgan was a local in ''The New Fillmore'', 1 Febr ...
to design murals and decorative details for the Chapel of the Chimes crematorium in Oakland. He also designed, “The Creation,” an interior mural in the Temple of Religion and Tower of Peace building at the 1939
Golden Gate International Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) was a World's Fair held at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California, U.S. The exposition operated from February 18, 1939, through October 29, 1939, and from May 25, 1940, through September 29, ...
in San Francisco.


Personal life

In 1920, Solon married Sylvia Wallace, a fellow British immigrant. Prior to moving to California and marrying Solon, she had taught at Draycott in the Moors, where she appears on the 1911 census. As he aged, Solon suffered from failing eyesight and used a beloved German Shepherd guide dog to aid him. Solon died in Marin County on 8 January 1960 and was buried at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in San Rafael.


Legacy

A couple of his landscapes are held by the
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is in Bethesda Street, Hanley, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. Admission is free. One of the four local authority museums in the city, the other three being Gladstone Pottery Museum, ...
in Stoke-on-Trent.
California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, - Cites the location of the university and shows that the university ...
has sketches including Welsh and English landscapes as well as Californian ones.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solon, Camille 1877 births 1960 deaths Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art British people of French descent Artists from Stoke-on-Trent Camille British emigrants to the United States