Thaddeus Welch Lion Hill, Millwood

(1844-1919) Born in La Porte, IN in 1844. Welch crossed the plains with his family in a prairie schooner at age thirteen and settled on a farm near Portland, OR. Coming to California in 1866, Welch studied art with Virgil Williams and was an apprentice in the studio of J.W. Ogilvy in exchange for art lessons. While there, he made the acquaintance of a wealthy patroness who financed a four-year scholarship for further study in Europe. In 1874 he sailed for Munich where he entered the Royal Academy. Welch returned to the U.S. in 1881 and painted for a while in the Hudson River area where he met Ludmilla Pilat whom he married in 1883. Upon returning from Australia in 1889, he was active in San Francisco for a while before returning to New York for Ludmilla. In 1893, the couple returned to California. After one year in Pasadena, they moved to the San Francisco Bay area. Poverty stricken but deeply in love, they camped out in the hills of Marin County until a suitable cottage could be found in nearby San Geronimo Valley. There the Welches began painting the poetic scenes of rural Marin that were to bring success and freedom from financial worry. In 1905, due to Thad’s health, they moved to Santa Barbara where he remained until his death on Dec. 19, 1919. Member: Bohemian Club; San Francisco Art Association. Works held: Oakland Museum; California Historical Society. Exhibited: Paris Salon, 1880.