Euphemia Carlton Fortune was a notable early California who is most recognized for her paintings in and around the picturesque Monterey Peninsula, especially the harbors and coastal villages of Carmel and Monterey. As a professional artist, she lived and worked in Europe during three periods from 1897-1927, mainly in Britain, and in the 1930’s gave up easel painting altogether in order to devote her life to liturgical mural painting for the Catholic Church. A devout Catholic throughout her life, she had studios in San Francisco and Monterey, and along with nine other artists, formed the Monterey Guild which was dedicated to ecclesiastical art. Fortune was born in Sausalito, California in 1885 and at a young age was sent to Edinburgh, Scotland for art instruction. By 1905 she was in San Francisco studying under Arthur Mathews, then to New York and the Art Student’s League with Frank Dumond, F. Luis Mora, and William Merritt Chase. Known for her progressive and colorful style, she was considered modern by many conservatives. She died in Carmel in 1969.
