Joseph Lee

(American, 1827-1880)

Kentfield, California, circa 1865

oil on canvas

signed Joseph Lee (lower right)

20 x 36 inches

This lot is located in Denver.

Provenance:

Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, New York

Private Collection

Dewey Livingston’s book In the Heart of Marin: The History of Kentfield and Greenbrae, California features images of a reproduction of this painting (a reproduction held in the Anne T. Kent California Room of the Marin County Free Library) that labels every road, dwelling, and landmark in Lee’s work, painted when this was called Ross Landing, before it became Kentfield, California. According to Kentfield-Greenbrae Historical Society Board Member Richard Torney, the road leading in from the distance and running off to the right was part of the main highway between Sausalito and San Rafael up until the late 1920’s, and one of the names for this area was Ross Landing Red Hill Road. Among the many named places on this painting are: William Murray’s farm, LeCornec’s saloon and stables, Peter Smith’s mercantile and store, and the home of Paul and Catherine Treanton.

Little is known of Joseph Lee’s life, training, and career, as Edan Hughes writes in Artists in California, 1786-1940, other than that he was born in England in 1827, came to San Francisco in 1858, won a prize for design on tin, and made his career first as a sign painter and then as an easel painter whose speciality was meticulously rendered ships and landscapes. It is said that fewer than 100 of his works survive. Because of his attention to detail, his works are a kind of time capsule of California’s past. As such, many museums and institutions hold them for their scholarly and historical value as well as their artistic merits.

With thanks to the members of the Kentfield-Greenbrae Historical Society for the detailed background information.

- James D. Balestrieri

Kentfield, California, circa 1865