George H. Burgess

George Henry Burgess (1831–1905) was a British-born artist, engraver, and lithographer best known for his paintings and prints of the American West, particularly California and Hawaii. Born in London, he trained as an engraver before emigrating to California during the Gold Rush in 1850. Though he initially sought fortune in mining, he soon turned to art, producing detailed drawings and prints that documented the growing cities and frontier life of the Pacific Coast.

Burgess later traveled to Hawaii, where he painted portraits and landscapes, and maintained a studio in San Francisco for much of his career. His work—often combining documentary accuracy with artistic sensitivity—provides an important visual record of mid-19th-century California and the Pacific.