James Everett Stuart
Born Maine, 1852
Died California, 1941

James Everett Stuart began painting at the young age of 8. That same year, his family relocated to a ranch outside of Rio Vista, California. Stuart took lessons from David H. Woods in Sacramento between 1868-1873. He then studied for five years under R. Yellond and Virgil Williams at the San Francisco School of Design. Also during that time, he studied privately with portraitist Benoni Irwin.

In 1881, Stuart opened a studio in Portland, Oregon. Five years later, he relocated to New York and, in 1891, he established a studio in Chicago where he remained for twenty years.

Stuart traveled extensively throughout Mexico and the Northwest, including three visits to Alaska. These travels are evident in the approximately 5,000 works he is credited with painting. Though he was adept at portraiture, the majority of his paintings are landscapes. He was quite successful in marketing his work and was nationally recognized by the turn of the century selling paintings to prominent people including John D. Rockefeller.

Throughout his career, Stuart was a member in several organizations including the Bohemian Club, the Society of Independent Artists, the National Art Club, the American Artists Professional League, and the San Francisco Art Association.

In 1912, he opened a studio in Union Square, San Francisco, where he resided until his death in 1941.

Exhibited: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual, 1894; American Art Society, 1902 (bronze medal); Art Institute of Chicago; Society of Independent Artists, 1918-19, 1921.

Works Held: White House, Washington, D.C.; Oakland Museum; Oakdale Public Library; Los Angeles Art Association; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Los Angeles Museum of History, Science, and Art; Southwest Museum, Los Angeles; Municipal Art Commission, Los Angeles; De Young Museum, San Francisco; Golden Gate Park Museum, San Francisco; Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley; Doheny Library; California State Library, Sacramento; Montana Historical Society; Washington State Historical Society; Oregon Historical Society; Kalamazoo Art Association, Michigan; Michigan State Library; Joslyn Memorial, Omaha, NE; Reno Arts and Crafts Club; Witt Art Library, London.

Further Reading: Artists in California, 1786-1940, Edan Milton Hughes, Hughes Publishing, San Francisco, 1986.; The Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West, Peggy and Harold Samuels, Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1976.; Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Vol. 3. Peter Hastings Falk, Georgia Kuchen and Veronica Roessler, eds., Sound View Press, Madison, Connecticut, 1999. 3 Vols.

Biography courtesy of David Cook Galleries, www.antiquesandfineart.com/davidcook