This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  The following information was submitted in August of 2006 by Francis E. O'Doherty:
Because my partner's mother was married to the artist's only son, we are
in the position to cast some light on the events that followed his
departure from California in 1909.
At the moment it is unclear as to where they were married, but he meet
his wife "Marian" {Origin: Yellowstone}around the time of the big
Quake and they did not part until his death.
They returned to Europe and traveled throughout it for a year before
settling in Wales where in 1911 they had a son. They called him "
Gerald, de Barri ".
His wife, an accomplished photographer changed the style in which the
subject was captured on film from the contrived pose of rigidity only
known to the Victorians to a more natural relaxed affair, more likely
to have a street scene in the background than the black curtins of old. The idea was a break- through which allowed her to open "Shop" in Bond
St., London and become a great success.
The riches this allowed her,
enabled them to settle in and own a number of properties in the town of
Sandwich in Kent. It appears that life and the light in Kent entertained
his new- found hobby of renovating old houses and his love of painting
enough for him to die there at the age of 70 after falling off a roof
he was repairing. Images from two sketchbooks of his:
http://frankeod.bulldoghome.com/photos/BDRES/ frankeod_bulldoghome_com/
book[%]201/
http://frankeod.bulldoghome.com/photos/BDRES/frankeod_bulldoghome_com/book[%]202/
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Biography from Crocker Art Museum Store:
| Born in Pitlessie, Fifeshire, Scotland. Neilson settled in San Francisco in the 1890s and studied at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute. In 1902 he cofounded the California Society of Artists with Piazzoni, Martinez, W. H. Bull, Blendon R. Campbell, and Matteo Sandona in reaction to the conservative attitudes of the San Francisco Art Association which they felt restricted younger artists.
In 1906 he was an instructor of drawing and watercolor at UC Berkeley. After the 1906 disaster destroyed his studio at 420 Montgomery, he moved to Los Angeles, but stayed only a few months before moving back to Berkeley to continue teaching at UC. His track is lost after 1909; he probably returned to Scotland.
Exh: SFAA, 1895-1906; Mechanics' Inst. (SF), 1897-99; Calif. State Fair, 1900-02; Calif. Society of Artists, Golden Gate Park Museum, 1902, 1905; Guild of Arts & Crafts, 1904; Starr King Fraternity, 1905; Del Monte Art Gallery, 1907-09.
In: CHS; Oakland Museum. AAW; CSL; CHS; SCA; Ber; SF Call, 7-22-1906, 22/1. | | Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here. |
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
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