Biography Gegoux Theodore
Théodore Gégoux -- (1850 - 1931)
Seen here with his family Frank (left), Prudentia, and Theodore Jr. (right) in about 1896.
This photograph was taken at Watertown, New York
French Canadian by birth, Theodore Gegoux immigrated to upstate New York at the age of 14. He commenced painting at the age of 23 never having had the benefit of a teacher, and was able to support himself through his artistry for the remainder of his life.
Gegoux naturalized his US citizenship in 1876 and traveled to Paris France in the summer of 1881, where he studied art for several months. While in Europe, Gegoux copied three works by the masters Claude-Joseph Vernet, Jules Breton, and Pierre-Paul Prud'hon. This was a common method of study at the time. Gegoux's copy of "The Blessing of Wheat at Artois" 1857, Jules Breton, is the only known example of his Paris studies which still exists today.
Gegoux returned to Watertown, NY in 1881 to establish himself as, Hamilton Child wrote in 1890, "... one of the best oil, pastel, and crayon portrait artists in the city." Gegoux was noted for his work "Justin W. Weeks" circa 1889, which was described by John Haddock in 1894, as "... he has made a picture which seems ready to walk out of the frame, to become the living man himself."
Gegoux's advertisements could be seen in both the newspapers and in Kimball's Business Directories of Jefferson County during the last years of the 19th century. Many are the notable citizens of Northern New York those portraits Gegoux painted. Some examples are; Bishop Joseph H. Conroy: Roswell P. Flower; Milo O. Cleveland; Albert Bushnell; Joseph C. Kimball; Hartwell Fletcher Bent; Harrison Fuller; Ella Snell Fuller; Colonel Alexander M. Piper; Eunice Strong Griswold; Christie Anne Campbell-LaRue; and Helen Maude Baumert; to name but a few. Gegoux worked at his studio in Watertown during the year and at his Point Vivian cottage during the summers. Gegoux claimed in an 1883 news article that he had, by age 32, executed more than 1,300 portraits. In all Gegoux's work in Northern New York spans nearly 35 years.
In addition to Gegoux's portrait business, he painted other types of subject matter during his years in New York. For example, Gegoux painted "The Salute" circa 1894, which was a nocturnal rendering of a moonlit encounter between a small sailboat and the riverboat "St. Lawrence" near Alexandria Bay, N. Y. His depiction of the moon in this work reflects the influence of Vernet. Gegoux was also recognized for his work "A Young Paganini" 1896, which was selected for the First Annual Exhibition of the Carnegie Art Galleries in November of 1896. This painting featured a "lamp light effect" which Gegoux mastered while studying Prud'hon in Europe. Numerous landscapes were painted, such as "High Falls Gorge" circa 1898 and "The MacIntyre Range of the Adirondacks", which were two other major Gegoux works from this period, which depict popular tourist sites in Upstate New York. The first where the Ausable River plummets 700 feet in a spectacular falls and the second the range of mountains around Mount Algonquin. Gegoux also painted a moonlight picture of the "Keewaydin Mansion" on the St. Lawrence River, which was formerly the residence of a Mr. Jackson. The Mansion painting is exhibited at the State Parks Office building at Keewaydin State Park in Upstate New York. Additionally during his New York years, Gegoux sculpted a bust of Governor Flower and is said to have carved the head of Paganini for his son's violin.
Gegoux continued his work in New York until sometime in December of 1909. A local newspaper at the time reported that he left Watertown to do a posthumous portrait of his nephew Captain Henry Gegoux, who died at Cleveland, Ohio in 1908. He was reported in the newspaper to have been in route to an aviation meet. The only aviation meet held in 1910 and the first on the West Coast was at Los Angeles, which was held at the Dominquez Ranch in January 1910. It is not known if Gegoux made it to this aviation meet. The photographs at the California State University Dominquez Hills archives have not revealed an identifiable likeness of Gegoux as of this writing. None the less, Gegoux arrived at Portland in 1910, most likely having taken the train.
The Portland City Directory, dated February 1, 1910, shows that Gegoux was a renter at a location which is near today's address of 518 NW 6th Street, Portland. However, a short time later the Federal Census, dated April 23, 1910, listed Gegoux as a resident of the "Haunted Castle". This building has since been determined to be the Gleall Castle, which is located at the present day address of 2591 SW Buckingham Terrace, Portland. The Gleall Castle is believed to have been unoccupied when Gegoux moved in and opened his studio. Based on Gegoux family photos, it remained unoccupied after his departure in 1912, and was still boarded up and unoccupied when his family joined him for a visit of the Haunted Castle in August 1921.
Gegoux's studio in the Gleall Castle is where he painted several studies of roses. It was not lost on Gegoux that Portland was the "Rose City". Years after his death, sheet music to the "Portland Oregon Rose Song" was found along with his tools in a storage container at Bekins Moving and Storage of Portland. Gegoux used many different media during this period including oil on canvas, oil on wood and occasionally oil on artist board. "The Portland Rose" 1911 (77 x 43 in), being his most significant work of this period. Oil on canvas, it features the view of Portland from the castle looking east towards Mt. Hood, with a woman standing in the foreground arranging roses. Gegoux also completed many still life and seascapes at the castle. Known works from this period include, "Three Roses" 1912, "Distant Vessel" 1912; a study of "Jelly Jars" (no less than 5 known examples); and studies of fruit, primarily apples, as with "The Bag of Apples" 1912. Gegoux paintings dated 1910 through 1912, were in all probability completed at the Gleall Castle studio or on location in the "plein air" style.
By February 1913, Gegoux's letters to George Himes of the Oregon Historical Society reveal that he had nearly finished painting his "Early Mayors of Portland" series. Gegoux's letters indicate that George Himes of the Oregon Historical Society was mailing him photographs of the former mayors. Gegoux was anxious to finish the Mayor's series in the fall of 1913 saying, "I might be an angel before the finish". During this time, Gegoux was working somewhere near the "Port of Los Angeles" at Santa Monica, California. In photographs, there appears a small shack near the water, where Gegoux is believed to have operated a portrait studio. His sign on the beach shack read, "Let Me Paint Your Portrait". This was painted in large letters so as to be visible from the road. During this period no reference is made to him in the Santa Monica City Directory, however Gegoux was known to be painting in this area during the years 1913 to 1915. Gegoux continued to paint in California completing two versions of "Topanga Canyon", one in 1914 and the other in 1915. In January of 1916, Gegoux moved back to Oregon bringing with him all 29 paintings of his mayors series. He consigned these paintings to Mr. Himes and the paintings remain at the Oregon Historical Society to this day, having been looked after by Jack Cleaver for many years. It is not known at this time whether Gegoux traveled by train to Portland or took one of the last ships from the "Long Wharf" which was closed down permanently shortly after Gegoux left California.
In February of 1916, Gegoux established a studio in Aurora, Oregon, which Guy V. Abernethy described in a Portland news article as the old Jette Saloon. There he began drafting sketches for his historical canvas "The Inception of the Birth of Oregon" (80 inches x 130 inches). This painting was to be his masterpiece, depicting the gathering at Champoeg on May 2, 1843 where the settlers voted to form Oregon's first provisional government. Disaster nearly struck in early 1918, when there was a fire at his studio in Aurora. Apparently the house in which he had his studio was gutted by fire and Gegoux lost nearly everything. Fortunately however, his masterpiece was saved. Then in July 1918, Gegoux moved his nearly finished work to Champoeg and took up residence in the Memorial House. Gegoux was allowed to exhibit his paintings and live at Champoeg in exchange for duties as caretaker of the new State Park. The "Inception of the Birth of Oregon" was considered finished in 1919. By December of that year, Gegoux was already discussing the sale of the painting with Mr. Himes. Gegoux filed a copyright on the painting in January of 1920 and it was featured at the Founders Day celebration that year. However in September 1920, a group of clergy protested the presence of Father F. N. Blanchet in the painting. It was determined that Father Blanchet had not been in attendance at the historic meeting in 1843. Accordingly, Gegoux painted Solomon H. Smith over the likeness of Father Blanchet. The painting was finally signed and dated in 1923 and in 1924 Gegoux and his son Frank, finished the frame for the painting.
While in Champoeg, Gegoux became friends with Guy Abernethy and his sister Matty (Abernethy) Eldriedge. This friendship inspired a fine painting, when Gegoux rendered "The Abernethy Farm" 1920, which was painted in oil on artist board. Gegoux also did several paintings for Matty in exchange for her kindness. Among them "The Peach" 1922 and "The Forest Fire Scene" 1925.
In early 1925, Gegoux moved to Highland Park, California. In 1925, he signed the "Birth of Oregon" over to his son Frank, who stayed at Portland in an effort to sell the painting to the State of Oregon. Exhibitions were arranged in the Governor's office and U.S. National Bank, but the painting was not purchased and it was eventually warehoused by Frank Gegoux, in Portland at Bekins Moving and Storage Company for over 40 years.
Gegoux continued to paint in 1925. From a bridge near his home in Highland Park, he painted "The Southwest Museum" 1925. He also traveled to the beach and sketched pictures which he would later paint at his studio in Highland Park. One such work is "Sunrise at Castle Rock" 1925. "Distant Sailor" 1925, and "Stormy Sunset" circa 1925, are also from this period. Sadly, in July of 1925, Gegoux regretted his move back to California, writing in a letter to Guy Abernethy, "... if I had one choice to make, namely, to remain in Los Angeles for the rest of my days or to be shot to death, I would say 'shoot away'."
Theodore Gegoux died in July 1931 at the County Farm (Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center) in Downey, California. At the time of his death, Gegoux was unheralded and penniless, having spent nearly the last four years of his life hospitalized. Gegoux's cremated remains were shipped back to Watertown, New York where he was interred in the family plot.
Upon Frank's death in 1966, his wife Hazel Grey Gegoux sold the painting to Alfred Collier, who in turn, transferred it to the State of Oregon. In 1979, the Lucas Conservation Laboratory in Vancouver, Washington was commissioned to restore the "Birth of Oregon" canvas under the direction of Jack Lucas and Betty Engel. It was finally hung in Champoeg Park in time for the May 2nd, 1979 celebration. The timeliness of this restoration was in no small part owing to the labors of Alan Cherney, who not only restored the massive frame, but who also engineered a way to hang it securely.
Gegoux died without the fame he deserved, and today he is still little known. But his art stands in mute testimony to his creative spirit.
Seen here with Prudentia and Anna Eleanor on April 5, 1908
Some of his paintings are seen in the background.
This photograph was taken at Watertown, New York.
Seen here at Champoeg with Théodore and Frank circa 1921.
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