Born in Bangor, ME in 1820, Frederick Butman operated an apothecary shop in Gardiner, ME and helped found the local gas and water company. Without the benefit of instruction, he began to paint figure studies. He arrived in San Francisco in 1857 and exhibited the earliest known painting of Yosemite Valley at the Mechanics' Institute Fair.

One of the first California artists to devote himself exclusively to landscapes, as well as Yosemite, he also worked in Oregon's Columbia River area and Washington in the 1860s. He exhibited in San Francisco a variety of mountain scenes including views of Mt Shasta, Mt Hood, and Lake Tahoe.

Returning to the East in 1867, he exhibited these scenes to an enthusias

Source: Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
New York Historical Society's Dictionary of Artists in America (Groce, George C. and David H. Wallace); Artists of the American West (Samuels); Artists of the American West (Doris Dawdy); California State Library (Sacramento); First 100 Years of Painting in California (J. Van Nostrand); Pacific Monthly, July 1863; Gardiner Home Journal, 7-26-1871 and SF Daily Alta, 8-16-1871 (obits).

Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here....