Summer 2024

Raphaelite artists. Her first large-scale exhibition was held at the Royal Academy in Edinburgh in 1911. Fortune eventually landed in Paris in early 1912 and was drawn to the bold work of the French Impressionists. Returning to the U.S., Fortune spent the sum- mer of 1912 on the Monterey Peninsula paint- ing, while staying in a rented house in Pacific Grove with her mother. She exhibited her paint- ings of the peninsula in San Francisco at her Sutter Street studio, along with works from her recent travels. In Monterey she became known for her paintings of modern life, featuring the town, the wharf and people, and was “interested in humanity’s impact on the land,” as explained in Scott Shields’ definitive book, “E. Charlton Fortune,The Colorful Spirit.” Critics proclaimed that no female artist in California had a brighter future than she. Over the next few years, she continued to spend time both on the peninsula and in San Francisco, where she won a silver medal at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. That same year, she donated paintings to a sale benefiting the restoration of the Carmel Mission and was an active member of the Carmel Mission restoration committee. Fortune left California for Europe in 1921 and traveled extensively, spending time in Italy, St. Ives in Cornwall and St.Tropez in France. She painted many of her most well-known paintings during the six years she spent traveling the continent. She returned to Monterey in 1927 and settled at 1006 Roosevelt Street (which has since been demolished) and became involved in many groups and causes as an important member of both the Monterey and Carmel art colonies. She joined the newly formed Carmel Art Association in 1927 and served on the board for many years as well as serving as vice president from 1936- 1939. She was also one of the founding mem- bers of the Monterey History and Art Association (MHA) in 1931, and was one of the first members of the board of directors. Fortune was also the chair of the art committee and among her fellow committee members were William Ritschel and Armin Hansen, two highly- respected and celebrated California artists. Fortune and her fellow MHA members were very concerned with preserving the character of Monterey and, through her involvement, Fortune was active in saving several important Monterey buildings, including the First Theater, the Fremont Adobe, Casa Serrano, and the first French Consulate, in which she played a major part. In 1934, as a member of a three-person MHA committee in cooperation with the State Parks, Fortune was responsible for the reloca- tion of the consulate, saving the building from destruction. Originally located on Fremont Street and Abrego, the building was disassem- bled brick by brick and reconstructed at its cur- rent location on Lake El Estero. She also served with Armin Hansen and Myron Oliver as artist supervisors for the State Park Commission’s Custom House restoration. C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 4 151 (Above) “The Green Boat, St. Tropez,” c. 1925; (Below) “Mackerel Season,” 1922, is currently on display at Trotter Galleries, Pacific Grove Museum-Gallery. Photo: Collection of Monterey Museum of Art, Bequest of Monsignor Robert E. Brennan, 1987.009 Photo: Collection of Terry and Paula Trotter/Trotter Galleries, Pacific Grove Museum-Gallery