Stephen William Shaw
| Stephen William Shaw | |
|---|---|
Self-portrait
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| Born |
December 15, 1817 Windsor, Vermont |
| Died | February 12, 1900 (aged 82) San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | Norwich Military Academy |
| Known for | Oils |
| Notable work | Portraits of Prominent Pioneer Californians |
| Patron(s) | Judge E.B. Crocker |
Stephen William Shaw (December 15, 1817 – February 12, 1900) was a California '49er and portrait painter who helped discover and name Humboldt Bay and introduced viticulture to Sonoma County by 1864.
Stephen W. Shaw was born December 15, 1817 at Windsor, Vermont, to Seth and Elizabeth Barrett Shaw, descendants of Puritans and American Revolutionaries. As a young adult, Shaw taught drawing and penmanship at Norwich Military Academy, then became an art teacher and director of the Boston Athenaeum before moving to the American South and making his living as an itinerant portraitist. In 1845, shortly after opening a studio in Lexington, Kentucky, Shaw painted his first known oil portrait. A year later, in Baton Rouge, Shaw painted a portrait of General Zachary Taylor which won a silver medal at the American Institute. In 1848, Shaw was commissioned for $1,000 by the City of New Orleans for a portrait of native son Persifer F. Smith. Shaw traveled to Veracruz and Mexico City, painting the portrait on his return to New Orleans.
Joining the California Gold Rush, Shaw left New Orleans aboard the merchant steamer Isthmus, on April 21, 1849. After crossing the Isthmus of Panama, he booked passage on the Dutch bark, Alexander von Humboldt, which left Panama on May 20, 1849. Becalmed for five weeks, they reached Acapulco July 6 where the passengers forced the owners off the boat due to poor provisioning and overcrowding. After more than three months voyage, the ship finally arrived in San Francisco, August 30, 1849 and was sold for $17,000 to satisfy the passengers' lien against the owners. One of the other passengers, Collis P. Huntington, formed an association of the 365 survivors of the 102-day passage, called "The Society of the Humboldter." Huntington sponsored reunions and at least one commemorative poster; the last four members met in August 30, 1899.
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