Millard Sheets (1907-1989) was that early 20th-century rarity: a native
Californian. Moreover, he seems to have known his profession early and to
have become successful almost immediately. Born in Pamona on June 24, 1907,
by age 11 he had won the first of the many prizes and awards he would collect
throughout his life. He is most commonly called a California Regionalist or,
as the more inclusive term has it, an American Scene painter. The style, sometimes
also called Social Realism, was popular throughout the United States during
the Great Depression years. Supported by the US government from 1933 to 1943
under the rubric Federal Art Projects, its various art projects not only provided
financial aid to artists, but also resulted in a steady stream of both public
and private art works. Sheets was active in overseeing the program in southern
California.