Biografie von Ransome Gillet HOLDREDGE (1836-1899)
Birth place: NYC
Death place: Alameda County, CA
Addresses: Alameda County, CA
Profession: Landscape and portrait painter
Studied: self-taught, although he associated with San Francisco area artists in the 1850s; France, 1874-76
Member: San Fran. AA (co-founder); Bohemian Club
Work: Oakland Mus.; Crocker Mus.; Soc. Calif. Pioneers; Bohemian Club; Bancroft Lib., Univ. Calif., Berkeley; Sierra Nevada Mus., Reno
Comments: After studying in France, Holdredge became a staff artist for Scribner"s, and was said to be on assignment with U.S. troops near Little Big Horn when Gen. Custer and his men were massacred. Holdredge became best known for his mountain landscapes with Indians, and seascapes, but also painted portraits. Although he won acclaim in San Francisco during the 1880s for his Barbizon style landscapes, placing him on par with William Keith, his abilities declined in the 1890s due to alcoholism and he died penniless. His early works are signed "Holdridge."
Sources: Hughes, Artists of California, 262; P & H Samuels, 232; 300 Years of American Art, vol. 1, 276