Wells Moses Sawyer (1863–1960) American, Watercolor Sketch of Coffeyville, Kansas. Small watercolor by Wells M. Sawyer depicting a quiet streetscape in Coffeyville, Kansas, viewed from beside railroad tracks. Signed lower right. Signed in pencil verso. Written verso: "Coffeyville, Kansas. Sketch from trainin about 1900".

Overall Size: 11 1/4 x 13 3/4 in. 

Sight Size: 6 5/8 x 9 1/2 in. 

Wells Moses Sawyer (1863–1960) was an American painter, illustrator, and photographer whose career spanned more than seven decades. Born in Keokuk, Iowa, he initially studied law before turning to art, training with John H. Vanderpoel and other prominent instructors in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Sawyer worked as a newspaper illustrator and later for the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of American Ethnology, where he documented archaeological discoveries, including those of the Pepper-Hearst Expedition, through paintings, sketches, and photographs that remain valuable historical records. After later careers in commercial art and advertising, he devoted himself to landscape and watercolor painting, exhibiting widely in the United States and Europe before retiring to Sarasota, Florida. His works and archival materials are preserved in institutions including the Smithsonian, the University of Pennsylvania Museum, and the Florida Museum of Natural History, reflecting his lasting contributions to both American art and archaeological documentation. 

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