Harold von schmidt paintings

Harold von Schmidt

American artist

Harold von Schmidt (May 19, 1893 – June 3, 1982) was an American illustrator, who specialized in magazine interior illustrations.

Early life

Born in Alameda, California, in 1893, he was orphaned at the age of five. After a year in an orphanage, he lived with his Aunt Lily Von Schmidt, an artist in her own right, and her second husband, Major Charles Lee Tilden, who had been a forty-niner, and founder of Tilden Park in Alameda County. As a youth, von Schmidt worked as a cowhand and a construction worker. In 1920 and 1924, he was on the United States Olympic Rugby team, along with his cousin Charles Lee Tilden Jr. Although the United States team won the gold medal both years, von Schmidt did not play in the only game in 1920,[1] and was sidelined by an injury in the final practice in 1924.

Career

Von Schmidt began his art studies at the California School of Arts and Crafts while he was still in high school. In 1924, he entered the Grand Central School of Art in New York City. He moved to the suburban commun

Harold von Schmidt painted Western scenes so vivid and full of life that it seems he must have actually been on the spot to witness wagon trains heading west, buffalo hunts, and cowboys on the range. Born in California in 1893, Von Schmidt was too young to have experienced the old West, but he absorbed its romance from his grandfather, who had come to California in a wagon train in 1849, and claimed to be the first white man to see Yosemite Valley. Von Schmidt was raised by an aunt and uncle who fostered his interest in art and, more importantly, encouraged him to have a wide variety of experiences to enrich his imagination and craftsmanship.

After studying at the California College of Arts and Crafts, he apprenticed himself to Maynard Dixon, one of the foremost California painters of the time, paying for his instruction by modeling for Dixon. Struggling to succeed as a freelance artist, he worked at a number of jobs, and eventually signed on with a company that produced advertising billboards. The state of California was threatening to ban outdoor advertising, so Von Schmidt hir

Harold von Schmidt

Biography

Harold von Schmidt painted Western scenes so vivid and full of life that it seems he must have actually been on the spot to witness wagon trains heading west, buffalo hunts, and cowboys on the range. Born in California in 1893, Von Schmidt was too young to have experienced the old West, but he absorbed its romance from his grandfather, who had come to California in a wagon train in 1849, and claimed to be the first white man to see Yosemite Valley. Von Schmidt was raised by an aunt and uncle who fostered his interest in art and, more importantly, encouraged him to have a wide variety of experiences to enrich his imagination and craftsmanship.

After studying at the California College of Arts and Crafts, he apprenticed himself to Maynard Dixon, one of the foremost California painters of the time, paying for his instruction by modeling for Dixon. Struggling to succeed as a freelance artist, he worked at a number of jobs, and eventually signed on with a company that produced advertising billboards. The state of California was threaten

Copyright ©cowroof.pages.dev 2025