Early Life and Apprenticeship: Detroit Roots William Sommer, born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1867, emerged from a landscape steeped in the burgeoning industrial spirit of America. Though largely self-taught, his artistic journey began with foundational lessons from Julius Gari Melchers, an artist and commercial lithographer who instilled early discipline and observation skills. For seven years, Sommer immersed himself in the world of printmaking as an apprentice at the Detroit Calvert Lithograph Company. This period wasn’t merely technical training; it was a crucial education in visual communi…