John William Orth (1889-1976), "Spring Bluebonnets", oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in., frame: 34 x 40 in.
Provenance: private collection, Houston, Texas

Born in Marksteft, Germany on July 26, 1889. Orth studied in Nuremberg, Munich, and in Paris at Academie Julian. He arrived in the U.S. in 1923 and was active in Houston before settling in Los Angeles in 1938. Sitters for his portraits included Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. In Houston, Texas the financier Jesse H. Jones commissioned Orth to do portraits of all the U.S. presidents. The paintings now hang in the University of Houston's Anderson Memorial Library, and the collection of the Texas Hall of Remembrance in Austin his portrait of President Eisenhower. His double portrait of John F. Kennedy with his brother Robert earned one of Orth's most cherished rewards, a letter from the late Robert F. Kennedy warmly commending him for his exceptional artistry. Exhibitions include Painters & Sculptors of Los Angeles, 1940s; Laguna Beach Art Association, 1945.

Very good