Edwin Deakin

Edwin Deakin was a BritishAmerican artist best known for his romantic landscapes as well as his architectural studies, especially the Spanish colonial missions of California. His still lifes are considered to be some of the finest of the genre. Deakin is one of the artists who popularized scenes of San Franciscos Chinatown. His sensitive and highly publicized depictions of the deteriorating missions drew public attention to the necessity of restoring these historically important monuments.

Deakin was born in Sheffield, England, on May 21, 1838. He was apprenticed at the age ofto a business which painted landscapes and floral designs on furniture in the Japanese style, but he received no formal training. By 18, he was a notable landscape artist. He emigrated to the US in 1856 with his family to the city of Chicago, where his father opened a hardware store and Edwins occupation was listed in the Census as a case maker. On June 21, 1865 Edwin Deakin married the 21yearold Isabel Fox, also an emigrant from England. The following year saw the birth of their son Oscar Edwin Deakin, who became a talented painter, but died tragically at the age of 30.

Source: Wikipedia