Artist Biography

Ransom HOLDREDGE
1836 - 1899

Ransom Gillet Holdredge was born in New York City in 1836. He came to California via the Isthmus of Panama in 1858 and worked as a draftsman at the Mare Island Naval Yard. His paintings of the 1860s and early 1870s were signed "Holdridge" and were done in the realistic style of the Hudson River School. During this period he maintained a studio in San Francisco's Donahoe-Kelly Bank Bldg and exhibited locally. In 1874 he and Hiram Bloomer held a joint sale of their paintings to finance European studies. He left in that year and spent about two years studying in France. (Some sources state that he worked as a field artist for Scribner's publications and was with Major Reno's troops at the time of the Custer massacre in 1876; however, this has not been substantiated.) After his studies in France, he returned to San Francisco with a distinctly different style. Paintings done after that time show the influence of the Barbizon School and were signed "Holdredge." His works were in great demand during his lifetime, received rave reviews by the local press, and were often considered superior to those done by William Keith. Holdredge traveled extensively throughout the Northwest, often living for long periods of time among the various Indian tribes. Due to malnutrition and alcoholism, his paintings done during the latter part of his life were not always of good quality. Like his friend Jules Tavernier, he made considerable money from the sale of his paintings but did not manage his money well. He died at the Alameda County (CA) Infirmary in April 1899 and was buried at public expense. Member: San Francisco Art Ass'n (cofounder); Bohemian Club. Works held: Bohemian Club; Oakland Museum; Society of California Pioneers; Orange County (CA) Museum; California Historical Society; Nevada Museum (Reno); Bancroft Library (University of California at Berkeley); Crocker Museum (Sacramento).

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