Matilda Lotz was one of California's premiere female artists, as well as a prominent animal portraitist.
12 Facts About Matilda Lotz
1.
2.
Matilda Lotz was born in Franklin, Tennessee, on November 29,1858, to German parents.
3.
Matilda Lotz began an interest in art early in life, as a child she would draw farm and household animals in the dirt.
4.
The Matilda Lotz family left Franklin, and briefly migrated to Memphis, Tennessee before moving to San Jose, California.
5.
Matilda Lotz began her art career in the 1860s; her first painting lessons came from her brother Paul.
6.
In 1874, Matilda Lotz attended the San Francisco School of Design on a six-year course with Virgil Macey Williams, where she won several medals and received the highest honors.
7.
Matilda Lotz continued her education in Paris in the 1880s with Felix-Joseph Barrias, and later Emile van Marcke.
8.
Matilda Lotz travelled throughout Europe and North Africa, uncommon for a single, un-chaperoned woman, and her journeys influenced her work.
9.
Matilda Lotz painted portraits while visiting her family in California, including that of William Randolf Hearst and Leland Stanford.
10.
Matilda Lotz returned to Paris in the 1890s where she worked closely for several years with French artist Rosa Bonheur.
11.
Matilda Lotz was living in Algiers at the outbreak of World War I, but was forced to leave by the French and returned to Tata in 1915, until her death on February 21,1923.
12.
Matilda Lotz married painter Ferenc Blaskovits later in her life.