Charles Frederick Eaton

Charles Frederick Eaton studied architecture, painting, and landscaping before settling down in Montecito, California, and creating his own estate, Riso Rivo.  From the workshop on his property and later from one in Santa Barbara, Eaton developed his reputation as an important craftsman, producing what Gustav Stickley called “peculiar objects of household decoration” (Gustav Stickely, ‘’Nature and Art in California,’’ The Craftsman, July 1904, p. 388).  He became known for his leather and metalwork, incorporating local materials, such as abalone, stones, cedar and sequoia woods.  Eaton presented chests, boxes, trays, bookbindings, lamps and screens at various exhibitions, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis, 1904) and the Yukon-Alaska-Pacific Exposition (Seattle, 1909) where he won a grand prize. 

In reviewing an exhibition in Minneapolis, one critic praised Eaton for combining ‘’leather, brass and semi-precious stones in a broad and novel way that appeals to all lovers of the unique,’’ further commenting that the ‘’metal screens designed to set on a table in order to protect an alcohol flame from draughts, were unique affairs that appealed instantly to the connoisseur’’ (Katherine Louise Smith, ‘’An Arts and Crafts Exhibition at Minneapolis,’’ The Craftsman, March 1903, p. 374).