Drawn to the Sea: Charles Bradford Hudson (1865-1939), Artist, Author, Army Officer, with Special Notice of His Work for the United States Fish Commission and Bureau of Fisheries Item Type article Authors Springer, Victor G.; Murphy, Kristin A. Download date 09/10/2021 17:20:47 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/26288 During 1911, CBH painted one illus- to CBH’s home. Chase was one of the auspices of the Geographical tration of a fish (Plate 15 B), a rainbow America’s foremost impressionist art- Society [sic] will get a desirable trout from a hatchery on the McCloud ists. CBH was also about to finish writ- sort of publicity. I surmised they River. It was done for the USBF, but, ing his second novel, which would be might be interested in the matter until our present study, was only pub- published in 1917. and sincerely hope they will put lished on a postcard issued by the Stein- In 1914, Barton Warren Evermann it through.70 But really, I am very hart Aquarium, San Francisco, possibly resigned his position with the USBF doubtful about painting any more at its opening in 1923. in Washington, D.C., and on 16 Mar. fish. The last work I did put me into Similarly, during 1912, CBH painted 1914 became director of the California eye-glasses, and I’ve wondered that his last illustration of a fish, again for Academy of Sciences69 in San Fran- the business did not put me into the USFC, again it was a rainbow trout cisco. The Academy was then in the an insane asylum, though it was (Plate 15 C), and again it was only first process of finishing construction of a always interesting, and such a great published (Bond, 1985) well after its new building and planning for exhibits. work as you propose would be a[n] preparation, and then only as part of an Its first building had been destroyed inspiration.” announcement of, and poster for, the in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Smithsonian exhibition “Drawn from The move brought Evermann within Possibly, even before arriving at the Sea, Art in the Service of Ichthyol- easy commuting distance of his most CAS, Evermann and John Rowley71, an ogy” (curated by VGS). important colleague, David Starr Jordan, exhibits specialist at CAS since 1907, CHBMS for May, 1912, wrote, and the active group of Stanford Univer- were preparing plans for a new way, the “Grace in Palo Alto hospital-hopes CBH sity ichthyologists at Palo Alto, and, no diorama, to exhibit mounted wildlife. will ‘never paint another fish,’” and for less importantly, Evermann’s favorite A diorama shows groups of animals ~23 May: “CBH complains of eye strain. illustrator of fishes, Charles Bradford naturally posed in their native habitat. CBH finishes Steelhead” [trout; actually, Hudson, at Pacific Grove. Although The models are placed in the foreground, the rainbow form, Plate 15 C]. proximity to CBH would benefit Ever- which, depending on the species, In 1913, probably right after com- mann, proximity to Evermann would includes sand, rocks, logs, or lifelike pleting the “steelhead,” and similar to benefit CBH even more. reproductions of the vegetation. To give it, CBH painted a rainbow trout in oil, On learning of Evermann’s move to a sense of depth to the diorama, the which painting we saw hanging on the San Francisco, CBH wrote him from background is painted to blend in with wall of Claire Hudson Brett’s home in Pacific Grove on 30 Sept. 1914: the foreground, and variously shows, for 1987. example, the ocean, shore, trees, distant “I have recently finished another mountains, or a desert scene. The size California Academy 67 novel. It has taken me consider- of the CAS dioramas was variable, but of Sciences Days ably longer than a year to write and the largest painted backgrounds were Associated with the cessation of his reduced my capital materially. I’m 18 × 25 ft (5.5 × 7.0 m)72, mural size. illustrating fishes, CBH was turning looking for a job. Can I do anything more toward his interests in fine art and for you, for the Academy, or for 70It never was. writing. In 1914, he attended William anyone you know about?” 71 68 John Rowley (1866–1928), a taxidermist and Merritt Chase’s Summer School of early exhibits specialist, began work in 1889 at Art in Carmel-by-the-Sea, very close Well, not quite “anything.” In a letter the American Museum of Natural History. In 1903, he moved to California and assisted David with the same date as CBH’s (the short Starr Jordan in building the university’s bio- 67Unless noted otherwise, information in this distance between Pacific Grove and logical museum. In 1907 he joined the staff of section is largely taken from CASA B. W. Ever- San Francisco, may have made this the California Academy of Sciences as chief of mann, correspondence Box 1918, A–H. possible), Evermann responded that he exhibits. In 1917 he was appointed director of the 68A compiled biography of Chase (1 Nov. 1849– Oakland Museum, and in 1920 he became chief 25 Oct. 1916) is available at http://www.answers. had submitted a proposal to the Carnegie of exhibits at the Los Angeles County Museum. com/topic/chase-william-merritt. CBH is vari- Foundation to do a study of the salmonid He participated in and supervised many of the early dioramas at the California Academy of Sci- ously reported to have studied with Chase at the fishes of the world, which he had men- Art Student’s League in New York, but there is ences, including those for which CBH painted no record of this in the ASL’s archives (S. Cas- tioned to CBH in the past, and wanted the backgrounds (distilled from Wonders, 1993: sidy, ASL archivist, email to VGS, 2 Feb. 2009). CBH to be the illustrator—it would 140–141). 72 SQBMS for summer 1914, lists an unspecified provide CBH work for years to come. Information about the dioramas, including CBH-Chase Summer School relationship, and invoices for payments to CBH for his back- CHB (10 Feb. 1985, letter to VGS), in response CBH responded on 18 Oct 1914: ground paintings are found in manuscripts in to VGS’s request for date of CBH’s study with CASA files: North American Hall, Boxes 1 and Chase, wrote “Studies with Chase, I believe, 2, and Simson African Hall, Boxes 1 and 2. Also were while he was at home in Pacific Grove con- “I am glad you still have the included for each hall, is a CAS published pam- currently sketching the Monterey coast, etching Salmonidae project in mind. It phlet illustrating in gray scale a photograph of it and writing his book [“The Royal Outlaw”]- will be a great work, and under each included diorama in that hall, identifications mainly during the years 1912–1916, before of the species and sundry comments on behavior, 1917-Academy of Sciences years which led to distribution, and conservation, of the elements in serious landscape painting.” 69Jennings (1997:302). continued on next page 71(4) 21 The next letter between Evermann sketching and “studying marines ‘down “. the leopard seal background . is and CBH, came from Evermann some the coast.’” Because CBH had prom- now on exhibition in my office, where months later. On 28 Apr. 1915 (a ised Evermann to be in San Francisco it is much admired by all who have seen Wednesday), he wrote that he was going in the fall, she wanted to know if the it. I take special delight in calling it to to visit Pacific Grove “next Saturday” new CAS building would be finished the attention of visitors.” Rowley, who and “I want to talk Salmonidae with by September. If so, she could make must have been away, had not seen it, you, also background painting for the plans about renting the Hudson’s Pa- but CBH, wrote Evermann on 16 Oct. Academy.” cific Grove home and moving closer that he had heard from Rowley, who was If salmonids were broached during to the Academy so CBH might begin gratified by the preliminary study and Evermann’s visit, CBH was not inter- work. Evermann responded a few days suggested some “features, which can be ested, but the possibility of painting the later that the staff would be finished readily introduced.” Furthermore: diorama backgrounds did interest him. moving into the new building by 1 After all, CBH had been sketching, Sept., but that there would be no need “[Rowley] tells me the size of the drawing, etching, and painting outdoor for artists before the middle or last of painting is to be 18ʹ × 48ʹinstead of scenes for himself and for others for September. 18ʹ × 25ʹ—about double the area. many years. Things moved slowly. Evermann I assume that the price will be Having finished his second novel, and was not ready for CBH to begin work increased in proportion. I should lacking any contracts for illustration, at CAS in September, but Rowley had be glad to know before making CBH had time in 1915 to pursue his assigned CBH a subject, leopard seals, the additional studies.” [CBH’s interest in art and writing. In August, for his first background painting. Eager underlining] CBH (1915) published a magazine ar- to get moving, CBH wrote Evermann ticle, “Monterey on the Etching Plate,” on 10 Sept. that he would soon send To which Evermann responded some- about the historic Monterey area and its him “a small preliminary study of the what tersely on 31 Oct.