'Oaks at Baker House, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 1911', by James Everett Stuart, Bohemian Club, White House, SFSD

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Initialed lower left, 'J. E. S.' for James Everett Stuart (American, 1852-1941) ), dated 'Sep. 22, 1911' and with the … Read more Initialed lower left, 'J. E. S.' for James Everett Stuart (American, 1852-1941) ), dated 'Sep. 22, 1911' and with the artist's chronology number '1681'. (Please see last image for high contrast detail).
Additionally signed, verso, dated and titled, 'Original Sketch. Trees in the grounds of Mr. Baker, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin' with artist's chronology number, dimensions and original sale price ($2,500).

The family of Robert H. Baker (Wisconsin state senator and J.I. Case Co. executive), built a Queen-Anne style summer home in 1885 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The Baker House still stands today as a Nationally Registered Historic Property and operates as a hotel and restaurant.

Born in Bangor, Maine, James Everett Stuart became celebrated for his panoramic American landscapes. He traveled and painted widely from Maine to California and from Alaska to the Panama Canal. He is now particularly known for his landscapes of the American West, particularly for his dramatic views of Northern California and Oregon. Stuart painted over 5000 paintings during his lifetime and he kept meticulous notes concerning weather and atmosphere as well as assigning a unique stock number to each completed work.

James Everett Stuart first studied in San Francisco with Raymond Yelland, Thomas Hill, and William Keith at the San Francisco School of Design. His early work was focused on dramatic California landscapes including views of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. His original style was influenced the French Barbizon School. In 1876, Stuart traveled through the north-western United States and, in 1881, opened his first studio in Portland, Oregon. From here, he traveled throughout the United States and Mexico. His favored subjects included the Yosemite National Park as well as old California missions and adobes.

During much of the 1890s, he lived in Chicago, but returned to San Francisco in 1912. With a new studio near Union Square, he became highly sought after by the public and and popular among his peers. This commercial and critical success was underscored by his election to membership of the Bohemian Club. James Everett Stuart is well-listed in all relevant art reference works including Who Was Who in American Art and Benezit's Dictionary of Artists. His work may be found in many private and public collections nationwide including in the permanent collection of the White House in Washington D.C.

From the Baker House website:
"The Land that the house was built on was originally given to Charles Minton Baker, (Robert’s father), in 1838 by the city of Lake Geneva as part of a “compensation package” for becoming the first District Attorney of Walworth County.

Over the last 140 years the home has had many lives: a SUMMER HOME for Emily [Robert Baker's wife] and her 5 children; a “fashionable” SANITARIUM for wealthy Chicagoans recovering from light nervous disorders and addiction; a clandestine Speakeasy during Prohibition and by the 1930’s it was the lakeside HOTEL and RESTAURANT, best known over the decades as the “St. Moritz”. In 2010 the “Redwood Cottage” was lovingly restored and decorated to represent the original style of a gilded age cottage. It has been renamed the BAKER HOUSE in tribute to Emily and Robert and the legacy they began."

Reference:
Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Peter Hastings Falk, Sound View Press 1999, Vol. 3, page 3210; Artists in California 1786-1940, Third Edition, Edan Milton Hughes: Crocker Art Museum, Sheridan Books 2002, Vol. 2, page 1076; E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 13, page 325; Mallett’s Index of Artists, Daniel Trowbridge Mallett, Peter Smith: New York 1948 Edition, R.R. Bowker Company 1935, page 425; Mantle Fielding’s Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers, Glen B. Opitz, Apollo Press 1983, page 908; et al. See less