The home of Scottish painter William Keith

This plaque marks the spot where William Keith spent many years of his life. From 1885 until his death, his home stood about fifty yards east of this location. Keith was a Scottish-American painter famous for his California landscapes, associated with Tonalism and the American Barbizon school.

Keith had a varied career that took him from New York to San Francisco, and eventually to studies in Düsseldorf and Paris. He became known for painting massive six- by ten-foot panoramas of the High Sierra, such as "California Alps." He was also a close friend of John Muir, with whom he shared a bond over their mutual connection to the mountains. The two men were born in Scotland the same year and maintained a friendship for thirty-eight years.

While Muir encouraged Keith to depict mountain scenery realistically, Keith often chose to depart from geologic reality to enhance the beauty of a scene. The two friends frequently argued about these artistic choices, with Keith playfully goading Muir by suggesting that nature was imitating his own sunrises. From his home in Berkeley, Keith commuted to a studio in San Francisco, where he also gave painting lessons and worked on commissioned portraits.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons