Charles Christian Nahl (1818-1878)

Though California claims him as a bonafide California Pioneer, Charles Nahl was born in Germany in 1818 to a long & storied line of artists dating to the 17th century. Exhibiting prodigious talent at an early age, he studied art at the Kassel Academy in Germany with his half-brother Hugo Nahl (known as one of the finest engravers on the West Coast...AND for his Western-themed paintings)(scroll down to the 2nd slideshow to see a smidge of Hugo's paintings), before moving with his family to Paris in 1846.

The Nahl family is quite confusing...their mother seems quite moderne & certainly was a bon vivant.

Carl and Hugo studied with French artists Hippolyte Delaroche and Emile Jean Horace Vernet...& while a student in Paris, "Charles" (as Carl had changed his name by then...) began exhibiting at the Paris Salon. He studied at The Louvre Palace & Palace of Versaille...receiving his first gold medal at age 16.  Charles & Hugo became involved in the revolutionary movement and were forced to flee when the French Revolution of 1848, overthrew the monarchy of Louis-Philipp. The Nahl family, (three brothers, a sister, and mother Henriette) thus left for California & the lure of the Gold Rush. They were accompanied by artist and family friend Frederick August Wenderoth (F.A. Wenderoth)(scroll down past Hugo's smidge to see F.A.'s blip)...I mean...wow...amazing artists...& doggists...& horsists!

They arrived collectively in San Francisco in 1851.

After a brief foray mining on the Yuba River (where Charles began sketching the gold miners while his mother Henriette earned money laundering the miners’ clothes), Charles, Hugo & F.A. opened an art studio in Sacramento. Their business-painting portraits of miners in exchange for gold-was extremely profitable...they all painted countless commissions & collectively produced lithographs for newspapers, books, magazines & government, romanticising the lives of miners, the Old West and gorgeous CA all wild & wooly. Within a year, the disastrous fire that burned much of Sacramento also destroyed their studio and much of their artwork.

Relocating to San Francisco, Charles & F.A. set up another commercial art & photography studio...which became the family biz...(well, this & the gym that the brothers developed & hit daily). F.A. went abroad...& then returned to marry Laura Nahl (half-sibling to Charles & Hugo)...it's intense & complicated! Lets just say that  Charles Nahl is known as one of the first significant artists in California and that he & Hugo enjoyed a very high-profile patronage.

It was Charles Nahl's painting of "Sacramento Indian with Dogs"...which I found quite startling & tragic....condescending & beautifully rendered...that compelled me to investigate Nahl...it must have been incredible to see the works of the 2 Nahl brothers & Wenderoth in 1 gallery...I love their dogs! Yay!

Hugo's paintings (below):

F.A. Wenderoth's paintings (below):