16 Mesmerizing Masterpieces by Lesbian Artist E. Charlton Fortune

Meet E. Charlton Fortune (1885–1969), a lover of paint, prestige, and ladies.

Here are some of the groundbreaking artist E. Charlton Fortune's work, which adorned 70 church interiors in 16 states, from Rhode Island to Missouri. Fortune came of age during a time when women began to challenge the status quo and redefine their expected roles in society. Known for her corduroy suits, her "masculine" artistic style and her love of women, she become of California's most significant artists.

Featuring more than 80 works, the exhibition "E. Charlton Fortune: The Colorful Spirit" was organized by the Pasadena Museum of California Art and curated by Scott A. Shields, Ph.D., California art scholar and Crocker Art Museum's associate director and chief curator. A 236-page, fully illustrated catalogue featuring scholarly essays by Shields and by Julianne Burton-Carvajal, Ph.D., accompanied the exhibition. Following its debut at the Pasadena Museum in January 2018, the exhibition went on view at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento and the Monterey Museum of Art.

Fortune in her studio at Portsmouth Priory, Rhode Island, c. 1950. Photographer unknown. Photograph courtesy of James R. Fortune

Christ Meets His Mother from The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Providence Hospital Chapel, Oakland, California, 1953. Oil on panel, 32 x 34 inches. Collection of Paula and Terry Trotter

Above the Town (Monterey Bay), 1918. Oil on canvas, 30 1/8 x 40 1/8 inches. Collection of Stephen P. Diamond, M.D.

Cabbage Patch, c. 1918. Oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches. Collection of John and Patty Dilks

Monterey Guild (carved by August Gay), Chair from a suite of furniture made for Mission San Juan Bautista, 1931. Wood, 39 3/4 x 20 x 17 1/2 inches. Mission San Juan Bautista, San Juan Bautista, California

Drying Sails, St. Tropez, 1926. Oil on canvas on Masonite, 38 1/8 x 48 1/4 inches. Monterey Museum of Art. Robert J. Dwyer Trust, 2010.017

Monterey Guild, Ecclesiastical Candlestick, n.d. Wrought iron and glass, 63 1/4 x 20 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches. Monterey Museum of Art. Gift of Monsignor Robert E. Brennan, 1986.007

Edinburgh Castle, c. 1921. Oil on panel, 12 7/8 x 16 1/8 inches. Collection of Harry Parashis

Feeding Chickens, 1918. Oil on canvas, 28 x 26 inches. Crocker Art Museum, Melza and Ted Barr Collection, 2010.9

Picking Apples (Above the Town), c. 1920. Oil on canvas, 22 x 30 inches. Collection of John and Patty Dilks

Santa Barbara, California, 1928. Oil on canvas, 38 1/4 x 50 3/8 inches. Monterey Museum of Art. Robert J. Dwyer Trust, 2010.014

E. Charlton Fortune: The Colorful Spirit August 20, 2017–January 7, 2018 Image Credits MEDIA CONTACT: Brianna Smyk | Director of Communication & Editor| bsmyk@pmcaonline.org | 626-568-3665 x12 Paintings: E. Charlton Fortune, Above the Town (Monterey Bay)

Ship Chandler, St. Tropez, c. 1924–27. Oil on canvas board, 12 3/4 x 16 inches. Monterey Museum of Art. Bequest of Monsignor Robert E. Brennan, 1987.014

Silver Morning, St. Tropez, c. 1924–27. Oil on board, 12 5/8 x 15 1/2 inches. Monterey Museum of Art. Gift of Mrs. Evelyn Wolfson from the Dr. Mast Wolfson Collection, 1991.176

Monterey Guild, Reredos featuring scenes of Saint Peter, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Kansas City, Missouri. Photograph by David Shaughnessy, courtesy of Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph archives

The Lonely Shore, c. 1918. Oil on canvas, 31 1/4 x 39 1/4 inches. Collection of W. Donald Head, Old Grandview Ranch, Saratoga, California

Triptych after Puvis de Chavannes’ La vie pastorale de sainte Geneviève, 1912. Gouache on cardboard, 9 3/4 x 20 1/4 inches. Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art. Gift of Clemence M. Otto

Wine Cargoes, 1925. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Stiles II