History
Christopher Queen Galleries was founded in 1976 by mother and daughter, Alfhild Wallen and Nancy Ferreira in the small village of Duncans Mills, California, population 20! Duncans Mills is
located 77 miles north of the Golden Gate in Sonoma County, surrounded by the lush Redwoods, the vineyards and the Russian River. The gallery was named after Christopher Queen. Christopher deQuien was a Pony Express rider who then settled in Duncans Mills in the 1870’s and built the hotel and livery stable where the gallery was originally located. DeQuien was of French descent and Americanized his name to Queen upon arriving in the United States. He was one of the important landholders in Sonoma County and moved to San Francisco around the turn of the century. After restoring Christopher Queen’s old Hotel and Livery Stable, Nancy and Alfhild decided to call their gallery Christopher Queen Galleries.
Christopher Queen Galleries grew from a small gallery specializing in antique and contemporary prints of flora and fauna to a nationally know wildlife gallery hanging 
important Early California and Contemporary paintings. The gallery has hosted many one-man shows for nationally known contemporary artists, several shows drawing collectors from all over the United States and Canada. Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders, John Seerey-Lester, Morten Solberg, John Stobart, Maynard Reese and Thomas Kinkade, to name a few. The gallery enlarged thrice before settling in its current location in John Orr’s Stores in Duncans Mills. John Orr was the owner of one of the oldest buildings in town housing John Orr’s Saloon, again in the town’s heyday in the 1870’s.
Arnold “Swede” Wallen gathered together a collection of Early California paintings and joined Christopher Queen in the mid 1980’s. In the upstairs salon you will find a large selection dating from the 1870’s to the 1920’s. Many of the artists featured in this collection are represented in the Oakland Museum, the DeYoung Museum and the Crocker Museum. Paintings by William Keith, Thomas Hill, Samuel Marsden Brookes, Giuseppe Leone Cadenasso, Ransom Gillet Holdredge, Xavier Martinez, Jules Tavernier, Julian Rix, Percy Gray and many others grace the walls. Each summer, the gallery features artists of the Bohemian Club; a club started by artists and journalists in the 1870’s which celebrated its second encampment in Duncans Mills. Many of these famous artists came to the Russian River to paint this glorious landscape. This year Christopher Queen Gallery is celebrating its 35th annual Early Artists of the Bohemian Club show.
In 1982 Duncans Mills Restorations constructed the two story building of Christopher Queen Galleries to accommodate their expanding business. The gallery now features contemporary paintings by award-winning artists F. Michael Wood, Dave Sellers, Sergio Lopez, Bart Walker, Paul Kratter, Steve Curry, Allen Figone, Kyle Paliotto, Ronald Goldfinger, Jane Hofstetter, Jack Cassinetto and Don Ealy. Each artist has a unique style that sets them apart from each other. We have three artists who make their own frames which gives the gallery a special ambiance. The artists also use antique and interesting frames to showcase their paintings. We are proud to represent these exceptional artists. We were lucky to have collectors first than gallery helpers, Gary Eisman and Ron Harmon assist the gallery with shows and receptions over the many years.
David Ferreira, Nancy’s husband has been a silent partner in Christopher Queen since its inception in 1976. Although not involved in the day to day gallery business, he has been a huge part of
Christopher Queen Galleries for the last 50 years. Painting walls, picking up paintings, going to auctions, entertaining artists and a doing a myriad of repairs and problem solving to make Christopher Queen run smoothly and help to make the gallery what it is today.
In 1996, Tiare Giardina joined the gallery and is currently second in command to Nancy Ferreira. Tiare, an art major, attended the University of Hawaii and finished her degree at Sonoma State. Together, Nancy & Tiare have hosted over 150 shows, designed exquisite invites, celebrated dozens of one-man shows, all while having too much fun. For the last 30 years, Tiare has enriched the gallery with her knowledge and generous spirit. She is irreplaceable and a most important part of the gallery.
Over the years, Christopher Queen Galleries has proudly represented many exceptional and nationally known artists. The gallery has worked with and has loaned paintings to many museums including the Crocker Art Museum, de Young Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Sonoma County, Grace Hudson Museum, Bolinas Museum, Napa Valley Museum, St. Mary’s College Museum of Art, and the California Historical Society.
Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Christopher Queen Galleries is still located in downtown Duncans Mills, Population now 85!