Edwin Deakin Old Water Wheel

(1838-1923) Edwin Deakin was born in Sheffield, England on May 21, 1838. After moving to America in 1856, Deakin settled in Chicago where his professional career began in 1869 with portraits of Northern Civil War heroes. Little is known of Deakin’s education or art training; he is said to have been a self-taught artist. In 1870 he moved to San Francisco and established a studio. Within a few years Deakin had gained a fine reputation as a painter while exhibiting regularly with the San Francisco Art Association and at the Mechanics’ Institute Fairs. He was a member of the Bohemian Club and a close friend of Samuel Brookes with whom he shared a studio. Deakin traveled and sketched in Europe during 1887-90. While there, he exhibited at the Paris Salon. Most of his paintings are characterized by the skillful rendering of architectural surfaces. Most famous for his series of 21 mission paintings, he also painted grapes, Chinatown genre and scenes of the 1906 disaster. His last years were spent in Berkeley California where in 1890 he purchased a large tract of land, which was a portion of the old Peralta land grant. He built a mission-style studio on the property and remained there until his death on May 11, 1923. Later the property was subdivided and a street named for him there. Works held: de Young Museum; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Oakland Museum; California Historical Society; Society of California Pioneers; Sierra Nevada Museum, Reno.