Bruton sisters’ art in Monterey

Detail of the Bruton family headstone in the Monterey City Cemetery.  

The Bruton sisters lived in Monterey during the 1920s and then moved back to Alameda, California, before settling permanently in Monterey in 1941. Today, there several places to see some of the Bruton’s artwork in Monterey:

1.  871 Cass Street (on the corner of El Dorado and Cass Streets):  Now a medical office building, this is the site where the Bruton sisters once lived. When they lived on Cass Street, they were just around the corner from the home and studio of artist Armin Hansen, who lived on 762 El Dorado Street (his house no longer exists). Although the current owners hoped to save the Bruton House, it was structurally unsound and no longer met current building codes. This is not surprising given Helen Bruton’s description of how the house was constructed: “We had this little house in Monterey-- designed that house in about one day or two flat and had the builder put it up and it was more or less as a kind of a second summer place” (Interview, 26 Feb. 1975). If you look closely at the low stone wall surrounding the current building, you will see the number “871” in mosaic that was saved from the original Bruton House.

2.  Monterey Museum of Art: This museum hold several of the Bruton sisters’ works, including etchings, woodcuts, and oil paintings, which are sometimes on exhibit. This work by Margaret Bruton was recently on display at the museum.

3. Monterey City Cemetery: This is where the Bruton sisters' parents are buried--Daniel Bruton (1839-1928) and Helen Bruton (1866-1956). The sisters decorated their parents’ headstone with a flower mosaic.

4. Fisherman’s Wharf: Here you can see a stone structure with a history of the Monterey Harbor. Several artists and craftspeople helped to create this work, which was commissioned by the Monterey History and Art Association in 1963. Margaret Bruton created the terrazzo work on the plaque.

All photos by the author.