1950 George Mathis Pictorial Tourist Map of Nevada City, California

George Mathis (January 26, 1909 - September 28, 1977) was an American artist. Born in Seattle, Washington, Mathis suffered from Paget's disease as a child which led to him spending much of his time indoors. During these years Mathis developed an interest in art and his early art education was self-taught. After graduating from high school Mathis attended Washington State University, where he studied landscape painting under William T. McDermott and majored in art. He graduated in June 1932, moved to California, and began working as a commercial artist and art teacher. Mathis married his wife Jean in 1936. He and his wife Jean moved to Nevada City, California, in 1948 after living in the Bay Area for a few years. Here Mathis developed his desire to use art to recreate western history. During this time Mathis also began doing lithography, which soon led to a very successful business. The couple moved to Coloma, California, around 1960, and remodeled a Victorian-style house dating from the Gold Rush era. They operated a studio and art gallery here and named their home 'Friday House', using Jean's maiden name. Mathis' passion for recreating the Gold Rush era earned him the nickname 'pictorial historian of the Mother Lode'. He added a new dimension to his career in the 1960s, when he began creating illustrations for the Aerojet Corporation, the Sacramento-based aerospace company, then America's largest producer of rocket engines. More by this mapmaker...