George Henry Burgess (British/American, 1831-1905)

Lot description

George Henry Burgess (British/American, 1831-1905) Sunset on the Californian coast, possibly San Francisco, with a figure walking their dog signed lower left 'Geo. H. Burgess' and dated 1864 lower right; the mount inscribed 'On the Californian Coast, Pacific', the reverse inscribed 'San Francisco / California' watercolour, ink and bodycolour 18 x 26cm Born in London and trained in lithography at the Somerset House School of Design, Burgess followed his brothers (who had been attracted by the Gold Rush) to California in 1850, settling in San Francisco. Although his primary source of income came from painting portraits, he executed a number of topographical views, including those made during visits to Hawaii. However, whilst such views usually focus on factual detail, this study is unusual and interesting within the artist's oeuvre for being more romantic in character. In 1864, the date of the present picture, Burgess exhibited views of Puget Sound and the Yosemite Valley at the San Francisco Mechanic Institute’s Industrial Exhibition. In 1871, he was one of the founding members of the San Francisco Art Association. The artist's most famous painting, a large canvas, 'San Francisco in July, 1849', is in the Oakland Museum, California (A78.189).