Tom Craig in Three Acts

By Bryce Williamson

As I wrote in a blog about Sydney B. Mitchell, some of the important iris personalities of the past have faded from view and memory even though they were significant when alive and have contributed to the iris world through their creations and actions. Such is the case of Tom Craig (and family). The story of Tom Craig is like a play in three acts.

In the first act of the Tom Craig story, the focus is on Tom Craig as an artist. A graduate of Pomona College in the areas of botany and art, Craig gained a reputation as an upcoming artist in both oil and watercolor paintings as part of the California Group. Alfred Frankenstein, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle said that Craig was “one of America’s finest water colorists….the master of Mist and Water”. The phrase “master-of-mist-and-water” came from his technique of wet-on-wet, a style that he worked on continuously in California. Watercolors and oil paintings from Craig regularly appear on the market and prices run up to $5,000. Craig paintings are found in major United States museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 1938 Tom Craig married Frances Stack. Both Frances and their five children (Tim, Ken, Ivan, Patricia Valesca, and F. Amoret) became an integral part of the iris hobby that turned into a business. The financial need to support his family led Tom Craig to teach at both the Chouinard Art Institute (later the California Institute of the Arts) in Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. Additionally, he grew irises for money, a hobby that continued throughout his life.

The second act of Tom Craig’s life happened when World War II broke out.  Craig applied to the War Department for a job as an artist war correspondent. He was hired in 1942 by Life magazine and was sent to Asia briefly. After his time in Asia, he was re-stationed in Italy to the frontlines, where he sketched and painted G.I.s in action.

Tom Craig’s third act took place after World War II, focusing mainly on botany and less on painting.

He moved with his family to Escondido, California, to a 250-acre (some sources say 350-acre) farm purchased before the war—land without a road or water. He turned to his love of botany and cultivated irises for the remainder of his life. He painted occasionally but turned the majority of his attention to raising hybrid flowers and experimenting in botany.

From this third act, the irises pictured below became important. Sadly, many of his irises are simply not cold-hardy enough to thrive in all areas of the country.

Looking at Craig parentages, he was using the best irises from his contemporaries. Irises from Hans and Jacob Sass figure in crosses as do irises from Fred DeForest, R. E. Kleinsorge, and Agnes Whiting. It can be said that he owed a huge debt to Mohr-Mitchell plants. Both named varieties and seedlings from Mohr-Motchell playing key roles in Craig's gene pool. Out of his work with Michell plicatas, Tom produced the early space age iris 'Bearded Lady' (T. Craig, 1955).

From his work with reds, 'Savage', 'Molten', and 'Bang' were widely popular and won AIS awards. 'Savage' proved to be an important parent for Tom’s friend Sanford Babson and figures in Schreiner irises. 

'Savage' (T. Craig, 1949)

'Bang' (T. Craig, 1955)

The early introduction 'Joseph’s Mantle' figures prominently in brown-toned plicatas. It was also a warm climate rebloomer and would even rebloom some years in New England. 'Gene Wild' was used by Schreiner's, Keith Keppel, and Gordon Plough. Ironically despite the name, Gene was female and part of the Wild and Son growers of daylilies and irises. That firm is no longer a family business. 

'Joseph's Mantle' (T. Craig, 1949)

'Gene Wild' (T. Craig, 1952). Photo by Jeff Bennett

A whole paragraph is needed for 'Mary McClellan'.  Registered as a Mohr-type arilbred and a winner of the C. G. White Award, it would not qualify for that award today since it lacks the required arilbred characteristics; however, it was used by many, including myself, in hybridizing. In the blue, violet, and white colors, his white 'Patricia Craig' (1962) also was widely grown.

'Mary McClellan' (T. Craig, 1952)

Tom worked in other classes of irises beyond tall bearded. His 'Moonchild ' won the Sass Award and when that award was raised to medal status by the AIS, it won again.

'Moonchild' (T. Craig, 1955)

Although Craig only introduced eight spuria irises, his nearby Escondido neighbor Walker Ferguson used several in his groundbreaking work with spurias. 'Blue Pinafore' (1950)  was one of the Craig introductions used.

For his work with irises, the American Iris Society awarded him the Hybridizer's Medal in 1962

'Blue Pinafore' (T. Craig, 1950)

One of the surprises of this piece is that I had expected to find many of Craig’s warm climate reblooming irises in the parentages of newer irises. So far, my research has not found that to be true.

In the post War World II boom in Southern California as agriculture gave way to housing, Craig ultimately sold the Escondido property and moved to Hubbard, Oregon. In 1969, the catalogue was done and irises ready to be sold when he suddenly died of a heart attack. Frances and family continued the business that year.

Schreiner's went to the garden and acqired over 20 seedlings that they later used in hybridizing, but the seedlings were without parentages. I have been told that his children and grandchildren are trying to find Craig introductions, but my efforts to contact his children have come to nothing. There is even a story that Craig may have raised some irises during the move from California to Oregon on Sanford Babson’s property in Covina, California, but no collaboration of that story has surfaced.

Tom Craig's influence on the world of irises continues today even if his memory has become a bit misty despite his wonderful efforts to popularize irises; his influence on painters through his years at Pomona College, Occidental College, the University of Southern California, and the Chouinard Art Institute is undeniable. He had been a major influence on the California Style, with his wet-on-wet technique.