William Coulter Full Sails Entering SF Bay

(1849-1936)
William Coulter was, along with Gideon Denny, the foremost artist on the San Francisco Bay. Born in Glenariff, Ireland where his father was captain in the Coast Guard. At age 13 Coulter went to sea and learned every detail of the ships on which he sailed. He had a natural gift for drawing and color and during his off-duty hours aboard ship he sketched and painted. After arriving in San Francisco in 1869, he worked as a sailmaker while continuing to paint in his leisure and by 1874 was regularly exhibiting with the San Francisco Art Association. By 1890 he was living in Sausalito in a house that was just a few feet from the water. He kept a studio in San Francisco at 325 Montgomery Street, which he shared briefly with Hiram Bloomer. In 1896 he joined the staff of the San Francisco Call as their waterfront artist. His pen-and-ink drawings appeared daily until the disaster of 1906. One of his most important commissions was done between 1909-20 when he painted five mural panels for the Merchant Exchange Building. From 1869 to 1936 he chronicled the shipping industry in San Francisco Bay, capturing the vitality of the square-riggers, hay scows, tug boats, and schooners that sailed in and out of the Golden Gate. Coulter died on March 13th, 1936 at his Sausalito home. In 1943 a Liberty Ship was launched at the Kaiser Shipyard and named S.S. William A. Coulter. Coulter’s works are held at the Oakland Museum, Maritime Museum, SF, California Historical Society.