Meyer Straus California (1831-1905) VIEW OF MOUNT SHASTA oil on board, framed signed: lower right; and inscribed: verso M. Straus, 1880, Lot # 141, Mt. Shasta H14" W20" *Artist biography: Many artists were inspired to depict Mount Shasta as a result of the San Francisco art boom of the 1860s and 70s. The wealth generated by the Gold Rush, the Railroad, and Comstock Lode, banking, and commerce created an ideal climate for patronage of the visual arts. It is documented that many members of the San Francisco Art Association, including Meyer Straus, visited and painted Mount Shasta. Straus was known as the only artist of the 19th century to have painted Mount Eddy, located directly west of Mount Shasta. He also painted several views of Mount Shasta, including Sacramento River near Shasta Springs, New Trail to Shasta Springs, and Mount Shasta, Eastern Slope. Straus was born in Bavaria in 1831 and immigrated to the United States in 1849. He earned a living by painting theater sets, which he did in New Orleans from 1869-1872 and in San Francisco from 1875-1877. Thereafter, he became a landscape painter for which he became best known.