George Henry Burgess
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George Henry Burgess (8 June 1831 – 22 April 1905) was an
English American English Americans (historically known as Anglo-Americans) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2020 American Community Survey, 25.21 million self-identified as being of English origin. The term is distin ...
painter,
wood engraver Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image or ''matrix'' of images into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and pr ...
and
lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
.Hughes 1986, p. 72. In London, he received training in lithography. With two other brothers preceding them, in 1850 Burgess traveled to California in the company of his brother Charles. Once there, the Burgess brothers set up a jewelry and watch repair business in
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
. Unsuccessful at mining, George spent time sketching the gold fields and mining activity. In 1856, he made the first of three trips to
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, where he painted the royal family and made preparations for lithographic views of Honolulu. In
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, his primary source of income was painting portraits, but he often revisited the Gold Rush theme. Burgess' most well-known work is the massive ''San Francisco in July, 1849'', now located at the
Oakland Museum of California The Oakland Museum of California or OMCA (formerly the Oakland Museum) is an interdisciplinary museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California, located adjacent to Oak Street, 10th Street, and 11th Street in Oakland, Cal ...
.


Life and work

George Henry Burgess was born in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
on 8 June 1831,Forbes 1992, p. 152. One of four sons of a prominent London physician.Palmquist & Kailbourn 2000, p. 137. Burgess studied "artistic lithography" at the Somerset School House School of Design, and then apprenticed at a commercial lithography firm in London."Marlborough-Street", 14 November 1849. George's eldest brother, Edward, had journeyed to San Francisco in 1847, eventually setting up a trading business between
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and Hawaii. Another brother, Hubert, a professional artist, in 1850 set out for California from New York on news of the
California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
.Driesbach, Jones & Holland 1998, p. 66. In the same year, George and his brother Charles, a portrait painter and photographer, traveled over the
Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
in search of their fortune. After initial gold prospecting attempts, Hubert, Charles, and George Burgess opened a jewelry shop in Sonora. Operating out of a tent, they repaired watches and made gold chains for the miners. Due to local disturbances, the brothers disbanded their operations. Hubert and George continued to hunt together, supplying meat for restaurants and boardinghouses.Driesbach, Jones & Holland 1998, pp. 66–67. They also engaged in sketching trips around the Mother Lode area. George's pictures are noteworthy for their attention to factual detail and reduced emphasis of romantic characteristics.Driesbach, Jones & Holland 1998, p. 70. He frequently worked on location using pencil, or pen and ink on paper, supplanted at times by watercolor. His production included minaitures, genre scenes and landscapes.Driesbach, Jones & Holland 1998, pp. 120–121. Burgess periodically returned to the Gold Rush theme in the ensuing decades. In 1854, he lithographed a view of San Francisco city and harbor, based on a daguerrotype by the photographer George Howard Johnson.Peters 1935, p. 92. Burgess made three trips to Hawaii. His longest stay was 1855–1856, with shorter visits in 1866 and 1871.Severson 2002, p. 76. On his first visit he advertised himself as 'Artist and Wood Engraver'. George's brothers lived in Honolulu for various periods of time. Hubert ran a jewelry business, receiving royal commissions; Charles worked as a paperhanger;Driesbach, Jones & Holland 1998, p. 72. and Edward ran a coffee shop and sold his brothers’ artwork.Severson 2002, p. 76. Noteworthy among George's Honolulu output were his pendant portraits of
King Kamehameha IV Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...
and Queen Emma. The oil on paper works were based on preliminary sketches and possibly
daguerrotype Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photography, photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Loui ...
images.Forbes 1992, pp. 93, 152–153. Upon his return to San Francisco, Burgess lithographed a series of Honolulu views, printed by the firm of Britton & Rey. However, Burgess gave up lithography after quarrels over his production time and perceived credit as the principal draftsman. Burgess is listed in the 1858 San Francisco directory as a wood engraver. In that year as well, seeking gold once again, Burgess followed the Fraser River Gold Rush in
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, voyaging upriver by canoe. He sold one of his paintings to Governor James Douglas."The Bay of San Francisco", p. 184. Burgess returned with many sketches, which he then transferred to glass and exhibited by
magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a si ...
show."Fraser River Delineated", 28 October 1859. In San Francisco, Burgess opened a studio and began his career as a professional artist. For the next few decades, portrait commissions formed the bulk of his livelihood. He was especially noted for his skill in depicting ladies' gowns, which he would ask to borrow a few weeks before sittings in order to capture the decorative details. He also worked on photographic overpainting and retouching, a low-cost alternative to traditional portraits. Opportunities to display his work in San Francisco were few at first. In 1857, at the First Industrial Exhibition at the Mechanics' institute, he showed portraits, as well as three Honolulu views, the first to be shown in the country.Gerdts 1990, p. 338. The following year he exhibited watercolor landscapes. The 1864 exhibition showcased works from
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...
and the
Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surroun ...
. In 1871, Burgess was one of the founding members of the
San Francisco Art Association The San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) was an organization that promoted California artists, held art exhibitions, published a periodical, and established the first art school west of Chicago. The SFAA – which, by 1961, completed a long sequence ...
, and afterwards there were regular exhibitions and opportunities for patronage.Driesbach, Jones & Holland 1998, p. 73. On 18 July 1872, in London, Burgess married Emma Clint, daughter of the artist
Alfred Clint Alfred Clint (1807–1883) was an English marine painter. Life Clint was the fifth and youngest son by the first marriage of George Clint, A.R.A. He was born in Alfred Place, Bedford Square, London, on 22 March 1807. He acquired the technic ...
. The couple had two daughters together.Palmquist & Kailbourn 2000, p. 138. In 1877, Burgess was commissioned to paint a full-length portrait of the mining baron
James Clair Flood James Clair Flood (October 25, 1826 – February 21, 1889) was an American businessman who made a fortune thanks to the Comstock Lode in Nevada. His mining operations are recounted to this day as an outstanding example of what may be done with a ...
. While it is unknown if the painting still exists, Flood also commissioned ''View of San Francisco in 1850'', for which Burgess received $650 and $100 for the frame. In 1882, Burgess began work on his ''magnum opus'', the painting ''San Francisco in July, 1849''.Driesbach, Jones & Holland 1998, p. 74. It measured a monumental five feet high by twelve feet long, and he spent four years in preparation. Burgess' main source was an 1849 watercolor triptych by William Birch McMurtrie. He also consulted sketches, daguerrotypes, and lithographs. In his quest for authenticity he obtained testimonials from two hundred pioneers. Prior to its completion in 1886, Burgess began a lengthy and unsuccessful search for a buyer, his asking price being ten thousand dollars. He didn't sign and copyright the work until 1891. The painting was exhibited at the 1892 California State Fair and the 1894 San Francisco Mid-Winter Fair. Burgess lost possession of the painting in 1897 when he effectively pawned it for two thousand dollars and was unable to redeem it. The work, which is now at the Oakland Museum of California, is the one for which he is best remembered today.Driesbach, Jones & Holland 1998, p. 75. Burgess continued to paint until becoming an invalid in 1903. He died on 22 April 1905, in
Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...
.


Collections

*
Amon Carter Museum Amon may refer to: Mythology * Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra * Aamon, a Goetic demon People Momonym * Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah Given name * Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American ...
(
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),
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* Bancroft Library (
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
) *
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the lar ...
,
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
Forbes 1992, pp. 152–153. *Oakland Museum of California (
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
) *Yosemite Museum (
Yosemite National Park, California Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
)


Gallery

File:Painting of Kamehameha.jpg, King Kamehameha IV, 1856 File:Portrait of Queen Emma.jpg, Queen Emma, 1856 File:George Henry Burgess The Merced River, Yosemite, California.jpg, '' The Merced River,
Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surroun ...
File:George Henry Burgess - 'Frazer River Camp, British Columbia', Watercolor and pencil and gouache on paper, 1858.jpg, '' Frazer River Camp'', 1858 File:'View of San Francisco in 1850', 1878, oil on canvas painting by George Henry Burgess, 1878.jpg, ''View of San Francisco in 1850'', painted in 1878


Footnotes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, George Henry 1831 births 1905 deaths English engravers English lithographers 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters Hawaii artists English watercolourists 20th-century British printmakers 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists 20th-century lithographers 20th-century engravers