Born in New Jersey, John Marshall Gamble spent his teen years in New Zealand. He returned to the United States at the age of twenty, settling in California, where he studied painting with Emil Carlsen at the San Francisco School of Design (now the San Francisco Art Institute). In 1890, Gamble continued his artistic training in Europe, enrolling at the Acadèmie Julian in Paris. He returned to San Francisco in 1893, where he established a studio and embarked on a successful career as painter of wildflowers. This colorful painting was created prior to April 18, 1906, when a major earthquake struck San Francisco, sparking fires that destroyed much of the city, including Gamble’s studio. After losing years of work, Gamble relocated to Santa Barbara, where he remained until his death.
- Titles Wild Heliotrope and Poppies, San Francisco (Proper)
- Artist John Marshall Gamble, American, 1863 - 1957
- Medium oil on canvas
- Dimensions 20 × 24 × 1/2 in. (50.8 × 61 × 1.3 cm) frame: 27 1/4 × 33 1/4 × 1 3/4 in. (69.2 × 84.5 × 4.4 cm)
- Credit Line Gift of Lucile Peters Graham in memory of Dr. and Mrs. U. J. W. Peters, 1982.93
- Work Type painting
- Classification Paintings
- Signature Recto, lower left, black paint: John M. Gamble
- Inscription Printed on back of canvas: Wild Heliotrope and Poppies, San Francisco, John M. Gamble
- Provenance Lucile Peters Graham (1911-2001), Birmingham, Alabama, probably at least July 19, 1977; gift to the Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, 1982
1. The object file contains a letter from John E. Peetz, then-director of the Oakland Museum, to the object donor dated July 19, 1977. The object donor was seeking more information about the artist and included a photograph of 1982.93.