Samuel Chamberlain

Born in Cresco, Iowa, in 1895, he grew up in Washington state and studied architecture at the University of Washington and later at MIT. During World War I he served in France, and after the war he returned to his studies before moving more fully into art, printmaking, photography, and writing.

Travel shaped much of his career. In the 1920s he studied printmaking in Paris and London, spent extended time in Europe, and later taught part time at the University of Michigan and MIT. He became known not only as a printmaker and photographer but also as a gifted interpreter of historic spaces.

His books often focused on domestic architecture and interiors, including works on rural France and early American homes, sometimes written with his wife, Narcissa. That blend of visual skill and historical curiosity made his nonfiction especially appealing to readers who love places, craftsmanship, and the feel of another era.