“To the eye of refined taste, to the quiet lover of nature, there is a peculiar charm in Colman’s style which, sooner or later, will be greatly appreciated.”

- Henry Tuckerman,   Book of the Artists: American Artist Life , (New York: 1867), 560.  

The unique qualities of Samuel Colman’s American landscapes, such as the expressive brushwork and the harmonious coloration, become apparent after 1862 when the artist returned from his sojourn in Europe. After his journeys to France and Italy and into the remote reaches of exotic Morocco and Spain, that Colman developed a more instinctive and impassioned feel for natural scenery. Prior to his departure abroad in 1860, Colman painted in a Hudson River School manner akin to the style of Asher B. Durand (1796-1886) with whom he studied during the 1850s.

Colman helped found the American Society of Painters in Water Color, where he later served as the organization’s first president, and the Society of American Artists. He was also a member of the New York Etching Club. Although he was very active in New York City throughout his career, much of his time was devoted to travel. He visited the American West, Europe, and Africa. He wrote and published Nature’s Harmonic Unity and Proportional Form in the years before his death.