Ivan Summers was born in Mt. Vernon, Illinois on July 21, 1886.  Summers lived in Woodstock, New York artists' colony. After living in Tennessee he studied art at the Art Students League in New York.  He was noted as an etcher and exhibited extensively in the early 20th century.  Summers died in Woodstock in October of 1964.  His son, Carol Summers is a well known color woodcut artist from California.