Monterey Customs House

(1862-1928) Born in San Francisco, CA in 1862 into a wealthy pioneer family, Peters studied locally at the School of Design under Virgil Williams and Chris Jorgensen and privately with Jules Tavernier. In 1886 he went to Paris where he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. While in Paris he exhibited at the Paris Salon and was greatly influenced by Alexander Harrison and James McNeil Whistler (who once remarked that Peters was the only artist other than himself who could paint nocturnes). Peters returned to his home in 1890, married the following year. He settled in Monterey where he built a 30-acre estate called “Peters Gate.” His home was a haven for other artists and he entertained lavishly until the money ran out. Following tragic losses of both his wife and small daughter, Peters remarried in 1909. The remainder of Peters’ life was spent in San Francisco with sporadic trips to Europe. He died in his native city in 1928. Eugen Neuhaus wrote, “He loved to paint the crumbling façades and tiled roofs of some moonlit Spanish adobe, and in developing the inherent textural and color qualities, he achieved a very unique and personal style. His color schemes are the rich analogues of the blue and purple of night with the complementary nuances of a small bit of orange light peeping through a half-shut window.” Exhibited: Paris Salon; Salmagundi Club; Bohemian Club; Golden Gate Park Museum; California Historical Society; Oakland Museum. In: CHS; de Young Museum; Bohemian Club; Oakland Museum; Monterey Peninsula Museum.