Clarence R. Mattei (November 13, 1883 – April 2, 1945) was an American portrait painter. Life Mattei was born on November 13, 1883, in San Luis Obispo County, California. His father Felix was an immigrant from Switzerland who first managed a hotel in Cayucos before founding Mattei's Tavern in Los Olivos. Mattei was trained in Paris. Mattei became an oil painter as well as a black and white sketcher, with studios in New York and in Santa Barbara, California. Over the course of his career, he did hundreds of portraits. Mattei married Merle Wilhoit. He died on April 2, 1945, in Santa Barbara, at age 61. His work can be seen at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Further reading References 1883 births 1945 deaths American people of Swiss descent People from Santa Barbara, California Painters from California American portrait painters 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters