The 1920s Monterey Art Scene (and a few odds and ends)

The Bruton sisters with August Gay and Ina Perham at the Stevenson House, ca. 1920s

Last March, during Women's History Month, I had the pleasure of speaking to a full house at California's First Theatre. I was invited by the Monterey State Historic Parks, so I decided to focus on the Bruton sisters and the Monterey art scene of the 1920s. 

The 1920s was a vibrant decade for Monterey artists, and many of them rented studios or rooms at the Stevenson House. The building is named after Robert Louis Stevenson--who lived there for a few months in 1879--but so much more has happened there since the famous author's brief stay. 

The Stevenson House was taken over by Monterey's artists in the 1920s, and the Bruton sisters were very much part of this scene. In fact, they kept an album from the 1920s which includes photos of their time there. I was able to share many of these photos during my talk, most of which had never been seen before. 

As Margaret Bruton remembered, Stevenson House was "a center for lively discussions on art in general [and] shared ideas in composition and technique." She went on to say, "It was a wonderful group. Lots of people would come down from [San Francisco]... There was just lots of sun, lots of old fishing nets, and five or ten dollars a month rent for rooms... Originally fishermen and artists had lived side by side, but eventually the artists took over."

The Bruton sisters' photo album contains some wonderful photos of the artists' elaborate costume party held at the Stevenson House in October 1923. The party was so noteworthy, the San Francisco Chronicle published three articles about it.

Standing: Esther Bruton, Albert Barrows, Margaret Bruton
Seated: Armin Hansen

Artists partying in costume at the Stevenson House.

Given all this exciting documentation, the staff of Monterey State Historic Parks are working on telling new stories at the Stevenson House. Yes, the Robert Louis Stevenson angle will always be there, but now the artists' lives in the 1920s will be part of the interpretation of this historic building as well. 

Just a few more things to share since my last update:

1) Monte Vista Elementary in Monterey held a "California Notable Figures" day, where students selected individuals from California history, learned about them, shared their findings with their classmates, and even dressed as the people they studied. Three third-grade girls joined together to represent the Bruton sisters! Wow! So exciting that the next generation is catching on. 😊

2) Helen Bruton is quoted in an exhibition currently on view at the Monterey Museum of Art. A Visual History of Art and Architecture in Monterey is curated by local artist and art historian Joaquin Turner and Cynthia Wagner Weick. The show includes artists' renderings of the different architectural styles represented in Monterey over the years. (This exhibition closes on August 30--don't miss it!) Helen's quote about artists leading the way in historic preservation is on the wall in the gallery:

3) A few months ago I was contacted by an Interpretive Guide at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. The Bruton sisters contributed 25 large mosaic battle maps to this memorial, and the staff is preparing a new "art-themed" tour of the monument that will feature the Brutons' work. Here is a quick view of the battle maps from a YouTube video about the Manila American Cemetery:

That's all for now. It's been an exciting few months for the Bruton sisters!