The gentleman at the far end of the path in this composition appears to be sketching the Cottonwood tree landscape using a Pochade box set up on an easel.

Herman Simeon Hoyt: 1868-1961

Born in Ohio, Herman S. Hoyt, a photographer who professionally went by H.S. Hoyt, lived in San Francisco, California as early as 1905 and was active there in the California Camera Club until at least the late 1920’s.

Timeline-Resources

1899: Living in Cincinnati, OH on Garfield Pl.- no occupation listed  (Cincinnati-Hamilton County, Ohio city directory) 

1899-1902: Actively photographs in Colorado. Two albums containing 92 photos from this period include his work and others now held at Yale University. Description: Photograph albums with photographs taken by H. S. Hoyt, Claire Lorimer Colburn, Walter W. Lewis, and Evan Lewis of Colorado scenes, 1899-1902. Depicted are Palmer Lake, Perry Park, the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway, Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods, lakes above Georgetown, and Denver (chiefly the city’s park and Valverde neighborhood). Included are photographs of unidentified Native American men, women, and children. Photographs attributed to Evan Lewis are of owls and ptarmigans, a gamebird in the grouse family. Images taken of Colburn, Hoyt, and Walter W. Lewis are identified in the album.

1902-1903: Southwest vernacular photograph album by Hoyt held at University of Utah – J. Willard Marriott Library. Description: “Vernacular” photograph album of Eunice L. Hunt of Lakeport, New Hampshire, containing images of travels throughout California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Photographs were likely taken by the professional photographer Herman Simeon Hoyt around 1902 or 1903 when Hoyt accompanied Professor William H. Dudley on a lecture tour of the Southwest. Titles and annotations are written on the page opposite of the corresponding photograph.

1902-03: Travels in the western United States. Album held by the University of California at Berkeley. Description: Herman S. Hoyt photograph album and diary pertaining to travels in Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico and California.  Album of photographs made on travels chiefly in the American southwest and Mexico, together with typescript itineraries and travel notes made by Hoyt, who was a San Francisco resident, photographer, and member of the California Camera Club. These travels were undertaken on a lecture tour of Professor William H. Dudley of the Wisconsin State Normal School, from December 14, 1902 to April 2, 1903. Hoyt accompanied him and served as photographer and lantern slide operator as Dudley lectured on “Color in nature”. Views in the album include landscapes, architecture, Native Americans of the southwest, and Mexican people.

1902-61: Personal correspondence and last will of photographer from this time held at the University of California at Berkeley. Description: Herman S. Hoyt papers, 1902-1961. Personal correspondence, family history, and last will of Herman S. (Simeon) Hoyt, a photographer who lived and worked in San Francisco. The correspondence chiefly deals with the last wishes and disposition of his material goods and a list of people and family to contact upon his death, and an unsigned copy of his last will. Other correspondence includes letters to friends and a typewritten account of ” some vital statistics of the Hoyt family” written by Mr. Hoyt. Also includes sympathy floral cards, one from the California Camera Club, and a letter to the the County Clerk of San Francisco notifying them of the date and place of Mr. Hoyt’s death.

1903:  Hoyt living at 1738 Champa St. in Denver, CO when he entered his photograph “Old Stairway-San Gabriel” (89) in the Third San Francisco Photographic Salon at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art. Exhibition ran Oct. 8-24.

1905: January: in: Camera And Dark-Room: Hoyt mentioned as member of California Camera Club while exhibiting his work in the First Photographic Salon in America in New York City: “No. 150, by H. S. Hoyt of the California Camera Club, shows good work. He has called it ”Along the Dock.” The composition is satisfying, and the lights and shadows harmonious. The spars in the distance balance the picture admirably, and the sky and the water below are true both to nature and to art. This combination is not always attainable, but Mr. Hoyt, like the men of the Dutch school, has managed to secure it.” p. 10

1905 ca.: Photographs in Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, with nearly 30 acetate photographic negatives now held in the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives, New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dates are conjectured to be roughly 1920-30, however a known Hoyt photograph from 1905: “Indian Pottery Burner” is a match with negative: “Woman burning pottery, Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico”

1905:  In Camera Craft, the May issue mentions his works:  “Along the Dock,” “San Francisco Bay,” “Indian Pottery Burner,” “Pueblo Indian Bake Oven.” p. 288

1906: The San Francisco Earthquake destroys the photographers home, including and all of his negatives and photo equipment. This photo shows the photographer sitting on the remains.

1907-1911: After the earthquake, Hoyt resurrected his commercial photography business by photographing signs and billboards. Work held at Bancroft Library at Berkeley: Description- Photographs of billboards ( by H.S. Hoyt)  posted on walls around construction sites and lots in San Francisco during the years following the 1906 earthquake and fire. Billboards advertise San Francisco Examiner, Ridgway’s Tea, San Francisco Evening Globe, Morgan & Wright Tires, Hunter Whiskey, Kelleher & Browne tailors, Wicker & McManus, Centemeri Gloves, Kodak, and Luxus beer.

1909: Listed occupation is photographer, residing at 2239 Sutter St. in San Francisco (Crocker-Langley San Francisco directory, 1909)

1910: Strange Circumstances: Hoyt mentioned as being present at death of a fellow photographer. From the Mariposa Gazette (Mariposa, California) March 26: page 1, column 5.  An Associated Press dispatch dated San Francisco, March 21, gives the following account of the death of Bruce M. Leitch of Wawona:

B. M. Leitch, artist, photographer and guardian of the [Mariposa] Big Trees at Wawona, died suddenly yesterday afternoon in the Palace hotel. The cause of death is not known exactly, as it came so suddenly that Dr. Julian Waller, who was summoned, was unable to determine the cause and refused to sign a certificate; so the body was turned over to Coroner Welch.

Leitch was apparently in good health at luncheon yesterday. He enjoyed his meal with Herman S. Hoyt of No. 2239 Sutter street, and then asked Hoyt to come to his room to look at some pictures. Just as Leitch had taken out the pictures and was decanting on their beauty, he put his hand to his throat, gasped for breath and fell dead on the floor.

Leitch was born in New York and came to California 26 years ago. He was interested in tree culture and undertook the post of guardian of the Big Trees, which position he has held since. He had a fine artistic sense and was known as a remarkably clever photographer. Some of his pictures are said to be the most artistic photographs of trees ever taken.”

1911: Listed as member of California Camera Club in Camera Craft, Volume 18.

–  Two of his photographs: A Contra Costa Roadway, and The Road Along the Foothills used to accompany article: “Using A Soft Focus Lens” by C.A. Gwynn. pp. 271-75. (June: Camera Craft: A Photographic Monthly)

1912: Listed as Associate Editor for California Camera Club journal.

1913: Article in the Sausalito News on May 17: “Speaking of the coming outing, H.S. Hoyt, chairman of the Outing Committee of the Camera Club, said “An outing in Marin county is always looked forward to with the most pleasant anticipation by the members of our club. That particular section of the bay region offers more to the person who is hunting with the camera than any other locality. We expect that 100 people will make advent on that day with Lagunitas as the destination.“

1915: Photographs at the Panama Pacific International Exposition. Ferry Building illuminated (CHS2013.1269) at night and others are now part of the Herman S. Hoyt Collection at the California Historical Society, San Francisco.

1919: Secured copyright for map: “Mariposa grove of big trees.” April 3, 1919 and April 14, 1919.

1920: US Census: living at 2527 Sutter St. in San Francisco. Occupation is photographer.

1926: Still active in the California Camera Club. “After the Day’s Hunt”, “The Road Home” and “Peacock Lane” are some of his exhibited works listed in the Members Exhibit with some published in the journal: The Camera: The Photographic Journal of America, Vol. 33.

1930: US Census: living at 1609 Clay St. in San Francisco. Now 62 years of age, his occupation is now salesman at a curio shop.

1961: September 21. Death, buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park- Colma: San Mateo County, CA. A photograph of the Hoyt as a younger man has been posted here.    

2013: Unknown auction house sells rare albums featuring work of H.S. Hoyt and others, with the first two of these albums ca. 1899-1902 now at Yale. (see above timeline) Auction house description: IMPORTANT LOT OF PHOTOGRAPHY ALBUMS DONE BY PHOTOGRAPHERS “H.S. Hoyt”, “C.L. Colburn”,” W.W. Lewis” and “Evin Lewis”(sic) – Colorado Pictures circa 1899-1902 album # 1 features a Picture of H.S.Hoyt sitting on a Burrow, also features C.S. & C.C.D. Railroad, The Depot at Palmer Lake Colorado, Perry Park around 1900 of Vincents House”, a picture of W.W.Lewis on Rock at Perry Park, Palmer Lake,Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railroad, Locomotive at Pike’s Peak Cog Road (total of 6 train related photo’s), Cripple Creak, several photo’s of “City Park Denver”, Photo of “Indian Brave”, “Indian Camp City Park Denver, (2) photo’s of “Indian Family”, Platte River Bridge with Loretto Academy on Hill, (4) photo’s of Lakes above Georgetown photo’s by Lewis, “Near Colorado Springs” and “High School Cadet Camp-Co.Springs” photo’s by Colburn, Ptarmigans nests by Lewis, and end of book # 1 photo “Longfellow School Football Team Early 1890’s picturing “billy Meek, Geo. Steck, Rueben Taylor, Ev. Owens, Frank Lewis, and Joe Lambert and single photo of “Ralph McCormack M.T.H.S.-  Photo Album # 2 same years 1899-1902 includes photo’s Denver in Winter, Photo of “Thad Sowder on his horse, People on Horse’s watching the Race, “Near Valverde”, “Indian Family”,”Colburn, Hoyt, and Lewis in log cabin opening to “Mine of Colorado School of Mines showing “Clare Colburn, Walter Lewis & Larson, “The Vincent Children on burro, Walter Lewis on burro, “Broadmoor Colorado Springs”, Trail near Manitou, Garden of Gods, “Surveying for the Telephone Line Southwestern Colorado”, J.F.Lambert Head, Silver Pick Mill-F E Lewis, Young boy leading team of Oxen New Mexico, Young Owls taken by E.Lewis, “San Francisco Harbor photo by Hoyt, Photo Album book # 3 circa 1910- Titled “Western Trips 1910 W.W.Lewis (most of this book features construction and locations of Power plants and power lines,) and other power plants-COLORADO- San Francisco, Utah, and Tahoe. THESE THREE PHOTO ALBUMS WILL BE SOLD AS ONE LOT!! A WONDERFUL SCENIC AND HISTORIC WALK BACK IN TIME!