Background
Holdredge was born in New York City (or possibly London, England) in 1836, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1850s, where he became head draughtsman at Mare Island Naval Yard.
Holdredge was born in New York City (or possibly London, England) in 1836, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1850s, where he became head draughtsman at Mare Island Naval Yard.
In 1874, with the assistance of friends and patrons, he moved to Paris for two years where he studied painting and traveled around Europe.
On his return, he gained a reputation as a leading landscape artist, traveling through the Western United States from Utah and the Rocky Mountains, to Oregon and the Sierra Mountains, to Yosemite and to the San Francisco Bay Area, often living with local Native American tribes. He died destitute, on or around April 15, 1899. There are claims that Holdredge served as a field artist for Scribner"s or was present at Major Reno"s actions at Custer"s Last Stand, but these claims are disputed.
Holdredge was recognized as a great painter during his life.
His paintings are in the permanent collections of many museums, particularly those specializing in California artists. In Europe, he developed a romantic style evocative of the Barbizon School, and began spelling his surname as Holdredge.