Several congregation members have suggested that it would be nice to have information about Ruth Post's book titled Virgil Williams on this site. Ruth's interest in the art of Virgil Williams began when one of his paintings found at the CCC Retreat house was nearly thrown away. It now hangs in the  Strathmore Cultural Arts Center, Rockville, MD. The following was provided to us by Illuminations Press:
 
Twenty-five years ago, a neglected painting of unknown origin was saved from the bonfire by curious minds. Those moments of examining and wondering only stimulated further curiosity, a curiosity which would not be stifled for many years, as each answer stimulated more questions. Today, that painting is no longer neglected. Appraised at a value of $15,000, it is on long term loan to the Strathmore Cultural Arts Center, Rockville, MD. And, today, there is a fine biography of the then forgotten artist of that painting.
Edited by  William Carnahan

about the biographee

Virgil Williams (1830-1886) was born and raised in Massachusetts and developed his talents in Italy but it was in far off California that he flowered as an artist and teacher. He was a colleague of Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Hill, William Keith and other artists then active in defining a western art. Also active in San Francisco civic developments, Williams was an early president of the newly formed Bohemian Club and a life member of the San Francisco Art Association which opened the California School of Design. Williams was its first director, a position he filled with great results and recognition for the school and its students, until death took him in 1886. Today, his paintings are in the collections of major California museums and private collectors and there is spirited competition whenever one of his paintings come on the market. Virgil Williams life and work make a great story, a story dug up by a curious and persistent woman.

Virgil Williams(frontispiece)

about the book

81/2 x 10, 144pp., 16 reproductions in color, 13 in black & white,

photographs. $30
about the author

"I'm sorry Mrs. Post, but I'm in my seventies now and I really want to give up publishing."

"Bless you my child, I'm 85. Now let me tell you about my book."

For 63 years, Ruth Post lived the model life of an educated woman - wife, mother of three boys, active church member, prize winning gardener, collector of glass - the life featured in the glossy magazines.

Then she had the great good fortune to be inspired by a challenge that would engage her mind and spirit and occupy her energies for the next quarter century to produce Virgil Williams. She did not live to autograph copies of her fine work but she did have a copy of the complete book in proof form for the last two months of her life. She knew her passion would be fulfilled.
Contents

List of Appendices 8
Acknowledgments 9
Chronology 10
Prologue 11

1 The Early Years 15
2 The Italian Years 21
3 California 25
4 Return to Boston 33
5 Back to California 43
6 A Master Teacher 57
7 The Death of Virgil Williams 69

Gallery 80
Epilogue 98
Extant Works 100
Appendices 105
Notes and Sources 135
Bibliography 139
   
from Chapter 7

Virgil Williams in his lifetime touched many lives in many ways. He was held in high esteem as an intellectual and a caring friend. His role in the world of art during three decades of the 19th Century (1853-1886) reveals a man of considerable ability as an artist in his own right; yet through those years many times his own artistic abilities were over- shadowed by his dedication and desire to share his gifts more broadly with his students.

Virgil Williams respected each student's inherent talent and shared with each one his knowledge of artist's tools and artistic techniques. Through the thirteen years of his stewardship, many of those students became well known and respected not only in America but also in Europe.

More than a hundred years after his death, there is renewed interest in some of those l9th century men and women who studied under Virgil Williams, thus calling us to look closely at his life and career, not only for his ability to teach art to others but also for his own ability to create valuable works. Many of Virgil Williams' works are currently on display in galleries and museums and in private homes.

Studying his work and that of his students, along with a knowledge of Williams' place in history, particularly in California history, opens up a deeper understanding of art in America.

Virgil Williams is available through bookstores or direct from Illuminations Press at PO Box 667, Calistoga, CA 94515. The price is $30 plus $3.50 shipping. California orders need to add $2.35 sales tax. Mail orders filled promptly.

Illuminations Press

Box 667 Calistoga CA 94515 phone/fax:707 942 0656 e-mail:gdekovic@compuserve.com

View of M. Katahdin From West Bank of Penobscot River, Baxter State Park, Maine, (1870)
Oil on canvas, 26 x 40 inches.
Signed lower right: V. Williams in monogram.
Christ Congregational Church, Silver Spring, Maryland.
On long term loan to Strathmore Cultural Arts Center, Rockville, MD.