Elmer Wachtel
American painter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elmer Wachtel (1864-1929) was an American painter who lived and worked in Southern California.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] He was known for his impressionist landscapes.
Elmer Wachtel | |
|---|---|
Portrait of artist Elmer Wachtel by fellow artist Rob Wagner, Los Angeles, 1909. | |
| Born | January 21, 1864 |
| Died | August 31, 1929 (aged 65) |
| Spouse | Marion Wachtel |
Biography
Wachtel was born in Baltimore, Maryland on January 21, 1864.[5] He moved to California in 1882 to live with his brother, who was working in San Gabriel.[1][5] Wachtel worked as a ranch hand and as a furniture store clerk while saving money to attend art school.[1][7] He also worked as a violinist, playing for the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles.[3] Wachtel was largely self-taught as a painter.[8] He studied at the Art Students' League in New York for two months and then later at the Lambeth School of Art in London.[1] Wachtel married sculptor Marion Kavanagh in 1904; the two lived in the Arroyo Seco region of Los Angeles.[1] Wachtel was known for painting California's landscapes, rather than European landscapes.[1] On August 31, 1929, Wachtel died suddenly while on a painting trip in Guadalajara, Mexico.[1][3][9]
During World War I, Wachtel became an informant for the U.S. Department of Justice by reporting to federal law authorities alleged pro-German and antiwar statements by militant socialists and fellow artists.[10]
