California Forest Fire, William M. Lemos, Oil on Canvas Painting in Pie Crust Frame c.1910-1920

ABOUT

Untitled. Oil on canvas. Signed William M. Lemos, California Forest Fire. Art Nouveau pie crust frame. 

• CREATOR William M. Lemos, American/California, 1861-1942.
  
• DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1910-1920. Exact date unknown. Most of his work falls within these years. Pie crust frames were popular 1900-1920. 
  
• MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Oil on Canvas, Modeled, Gessoed, Gilded Wood 
  
• CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use. Two repairs on the back, date unknown. 
  
• DIMENSIONS Overall: H 42 in. W 59 in. D 4 in., Painting: H 28 in. W 52 in. D 1 in. 
  

HISTORY

Born in New York, Lemos moved to San Francisco in 1887 where he established a studio at 106 Geary Street. He later moved to Santa Cruz in 1896, where he settled, painting murals for many local businessmen and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. As a boy, Lemos earned money by wandering the streets and painting on request. Arriving in San Francisco in 1887, he established a studio at 106 Geary. With his wife Mabel, he worked in Los Angeles for a few years in the 1890s. After settling in Santa Cruz in 1896, he painted murals for many local businessmen. When the original Beach Casino was built there at the Boardwalk in 1904, Lemos was the first concessionaire and worked there for nearly 40 years. On his platform in the Casino, Lemos did paintings of redwoods, still life, forest fires, beach scenes, and marines. Many of his oils were done on redwood slabs which were popular with the tourists; in the early days these paintings sold for one dollar and up depending on the size of the work. After his vision failed and he was unable to paint, his last years were mostly spent fishing off the Municipal Pier with a friend who baited his hook for him because he could no longer see. In the March 27, 1941 Santa Cruz Sentinel News Lemos reminisced, "Them were the days when the Boardwalk was only twelve feet long and when business got slow I picked up my shotgun and went across the street and shot ducks where the Casa del Rey Hotel now stands." Lemos died in Santa Cruz, CA on Aug. 8, 1942. Exh: Calif. State Fair, 1885; Mechanics' Inst. (SF), 1889. In: Santa Cruz City Museum; Wawona Hotel (Yosemite).