Theophilus P. Reichard, (Untitled) a Woman of Consequence

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The portrait is of a no-nonsense woman. A mystery woman, one accustomed to being respected. By her subdued costume, not … Read more The portrait is of a no-nonsense woman. A mystery woman, one accustomed to being respected. By her subdued costume, not selected to flatter her, as well as by her analytical expression, the sitter is possibly a woman of medical or professorial accomplishment in a man's world. Something she has done is being honored by this commission. Interestingly, whoever paid for it specifically selected an artist renowned for his portraits painted from photographs. So, either we have a surprise tribute or a subject too busy to sit. But we will never know.
According to the ultimate reference on early California painters, "Artists in California 1786-1940," Theophilus P. Reichard (1855-1948) immigrated from Germany as a 10-year-old. After his art studies in New York City, where this portrait was framed, he moved to San Francisco in 1894, setting up his studio at 25 Post Street. When not working on portraiture, he journeyed around Northern California to paint. The disastrous 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire precipitated his move to Alameda, across the bay near Oakland, to continue his work out of his home. He died in 1948, a short distance to the south in the Hayward home of his daughter. See less