Downtown Berkeley in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

William Keith (1836-1911)

Old Master of California

William Keith Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 1, 2021

1. William Keith Marker

Inscription.
From 1885 to the end of his life his home stood about fifty yards east of this spot

"He who is a blessing for his time is a blessing for all time"

Erected 1954 by K.M.A. St. Mary's College, Keith Arts Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical date for this entry is April 13, 1911.

Location. 37° 52.177′ N, 122° 15.936′ W. Marker is in Berkeley, California, in Alameda County. It is in Downtown Berkeley. It is at the intersection of Oxford Street and Allston Way, on the right when traveling north on Oxford Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Berkeley CA 94704, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Site of the Kellogg School (within shouting distance of this marker); Don Pedro Fages Expedition (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ennor’s Restaurant Building (about 400 feet away); Site of John Hinkel Livery Stable, 1900 (about 500 feet away); F.D. Chase Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tupper & Reed Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Brent James Woodall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Clint Evans Baseball Field (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berkeley.

More about this marker. Although located on a main thoroughfare, the marker is easy to miss as it is set back off the street and blends in with its surroundings. The location denoted on the marker, "50 yards east of this spot", would place the location of Keith's former home roughly on the northeast turn of the track on Edwards Field.

Regarding William Keith (1836-1911).
William Keith was a very prolific artist painting over 4,000 oil paintings in his lifetime, half of which tragically burned in his studio in the earthquake and fire of 1906. In his heyday, collectors

William Keith Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 1, 2021

2. William Keith Marker - wide view

The marker is visible here, about 8 feet to the left of the blue door.

from all over the world visited Keith’s studio where the artist would select a painting for clients, order everyone to be quite, and then dramatically reveal the painting from behind a black velvet curtain on an easel flooded in light. Keith died in 1911 and, despite turning out hundreds of lesser paintings that have been called “potboilers”...in the last five years of his life in an attempt to recoup the losses from 1906, he is honored as the “Dean of California Painters”.... When he died at home in 1911, he was both wealthy and famous. An entire room was dedicated to his work at the The Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915 and a special gallery dedicated to his life’s work, the Keith Gallery at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, opened in 1934.

Also see . . . William Keith (Artist). Wikipedia entry:
"William Keith (November 18, 1838 – April 13, 1911) was a Scottish-American painter famous for his California landscapes. He is associated with Tonalism and the American Barbizon school. Although most of his career was spent in California, he started out in New York, made two extended study trips to Europe, and had

<i>William Keith holding a palette of paint</i> image. Click for more information.

courtesy of the Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, June 1, 2021

3. William Keith holding a palette of paint

The Society of California Pioneers blog entry
Click for more information.

a studio in Boston in 1871-72 and one in New York in 1880." (Submitted on June 1, 2021.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 1, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 302 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 1, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.