Douglas Tilden at his desk. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

“The most artistic piece of sculpture West of the Rocky Mountains was unveiled at the corner of Turk and Market Streets, San Francisco, on Sunday, September 5, 1897. The monument known as ‘The Native Son’s Fountain’, was presented by James D. Phelan to the Native Sons of the Golden West. There is a simplicity of design and beauty of execution about the monument that far surpasses any effort in that line yet seen in San Francisco and Mr. Phelan deserves great praise for striking a new note in the field of Western Art.” Art and Architecture, 1897.”
“It has been said of Douglas Tilden that he was a man who lived and worked and died alone. A strange and touching epitaph to a famous sculptor, who overcame great handicaps to find a lasting place in the historical background of California Art.”

Read Douglas Tilden‘s biography in California Art Project, volume 6.

At a glance

Birth : May 1, 1860, in Chico, California (United States)
Death : August 5, 1935, in Oakland, California (United States)
Arrival in San Francisco Bay area : 1894
Married to : Elizabeth Delano Cole
Skills : Sculptor and teacher at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute (MHAI) and at the University of California (Berkeley)

Network

Art education, teachers : California School for the Deaf
Relations : Walter Martin, Mr. Henry McPike, James Phelan, General M.H.De Young,
Institutions, clubs, venues : Mark Hopkins Art Institute (MHAI), University of California (Berkeley)

Resources in the Bancroft Library

Pictorial archives

Douglas Tilden pictorial collection [graphic] Catalog Record
Mildred Albronda papers, circa 1970-1998. Catalog Record

Bibliography

Albronda, Mildred (1994). Douglas Tilden: The Man and His Legacy. Seattle, WA: Emerald Point Press. Catalog Record
Albronda, Mildred (1980). Douglas Tilden, Portrait of a Deaf Sculptor. Spring, Md. : T. J. Publishers. Catalog Record