Margaret Bruton

Margaret Bruton
Seated in the foreground is Esther Bruton; Helen Bruton is wielding the brush; while Margaret Bruton stands.
Born	Margaret Bell Bruton (1894-02-20)February 20, 1894 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	August 29, 1983(1983-08-29) (aged 89) Monterey, California, U.S.
Education	Mark Hopkins Institute of Art, Art Students' League, Académie de la Grande Chaumière
Known for	Painting, murals, printmaking

Margaret Bell Bruton (February 20, 1894 – August 29, 1983) was an American painter, muralist, and printmaker known for her contributions to the Californian art scene.

Bruton House 1240 St. Charles Street. Alameda City Historical Building (in January 2024)

Early life

Margaret Bruton was born to Daniel Bruton (1839–1928) of Dublin, Ireland, and Helen Bell (1866–1956) of Belfast, Ireland. Daniel, an employee at the American Tobacco Company, eventually moved the family to San Francisco, California. Margaret was the eldest of three sisters, including Anne Esther Bruton Gilman (1896–1992) and Helen Bruton (1898–1985). She grew up attending public schools in Alameda, California. As a successful tobacco merchant, Daniel commissioned Denis Straub & Son to construct the family home at 1240 St. Charles Street in Alameda. This house was sold by the family in 1944.

Education and early career

Bruton's artistic journey began at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art (later known as San Francisco Art Institute) in San Francisco in 1913, where she studied under Frank Van Sloun. In 1913 she won a scholarship during the 10th annual scholarship competition organized by the Art Students League of New York. There, she honed her skills under the guidance of artists Robert Henri and Frank Vincent Dumond from 1914 to 1918.

During World War I, Bruton contributed to the war effort by serving as an occupational therapist at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco. She, along with her sisters and mother, established a studio in the attic of their Alameda home.

Early Monterey period (1922–1929)

There were two periods when Margaret Bruton resided in Monterey, California. In the early 1920s, Bruton moved to Monterey, California, attracted by the scenic beauty and the opportunity to study with artist Armin Hansen. The Bruton family eventually settled there, building a house and studio and stayed in it "on and off" as it was their summer place and "Monterey was small and simple at that time". Margaret's sister Helen Bruton recalled:

"[..] we were here in Monterey from about 1922 to 1929, and that’s what I consider the golden age of Monterey from my standpoint because it was so lovely and there was such an interesting group of artists here at the time. It was a very stimulating period. Of course, Armin Hansen had a class and a lot of the younger people gravitated around his class, but there were others. There was Price, and Gay, and the other people who were painting on their own, and I was on the fringe, sculpting, supposedly."

She was associated with the Monterey Group of painters who were meeting at the Stevenson's House. Some of them were associated with the Society of Six.

Bruton gained recognition through various exhibitions, such as a group exhibition at the Los Angeles Museum in 1923 where she won a $100.00 prize. She also received accolades at the Santa Cruz Art League in 1925. She and her sisters undertook several travels, visiting England, France, Italy. In about 1929, she embarked on an artistic expedition to New Mexico (Taos and Santa Fe). Margaret spent a year studying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris.

Margaret and her sisters were lifelong friends of Ina Perham. They traveled to Virginia City in September of 1932 where they worked together. They would wake up at 6.30 in the morning and begin to work at 8 or "a little later".

Mosaic and terrazzo art

Eleanor Pickersgill, assistant, and artists Margaret, Helen and Esther Bruton, are shown with sections of the mural "Peacemakers" that decorated the West walls of the Court of Pacifica, Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island

In 1930 she ventured into the world of mosaics working on projects supported by Public Works Administration and Works Progress Administration.

The exterior mosaic panels for the Fleishacker Zoo Mother House in San Francisco, a project under the Federal Art Project, were primarily envisioned by Helen, with her sister Margaret playing a supportive role in their creation. This endeavor began at the close of 1933, utilizing local materials and with the technical assistance of Antonio (Anthony) Falcier, an Italian mosaicist with prior experience from his work on the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

Together with her sisters she created The Peacemakers, a historic mural for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. Housed within Timothy Pflueger's Court of Pacifica, the mural was a dramatic work spanning 144 feet wide by 57 feet tall, representing the collaborative peace between the countries of the East and West. The mural combined elements from Eastern and Western cultures, symbolizing peace across the Pacific. At its center stood two large figures, a Buddha and a kneeling woman, flanked by friezes of 24-foot tall figures and famous architectural landmarks. The Bruton sisters utilized a unique technique, carving the design into masonite panels to create a bas relief effect, allowing for depth and shadow play when illuminated.

Marker 871 on Cass Street, Monterey

After selling their Alameda house in 1944, they moved to Monterey, to the house that their family had originally built in the mid-1920s.

Margaret Bruton's terrazzo maps at Manila American Cemetery.

Air Assault on Japan. Photograph of one of Margaret Bruton terrazzo map drafts for Manila American Cemetery. The Margaret Bruton Collection, housed in the Mayo Hayes O'Donnell Library Doud House Archive Storage, Monterey.

In the 1950s Bruton sisters worked for 3 years on approx. 22 mosaics and terrazzo maps for the memorial at the Manila American Cemetery. The maps, were created using information from the American Battle Monuments Commission, were produced by the P. Grassi American Terrazzo Company in South San Francisco. Made from tinted concrete with vibrant colored aggregates, they incorporate military data through mosaic or ceramic details. The borders and compass designs reference Pacific Islands' art styles, and accompanying descriptive texts, made of plastic, elaborate on the maps' details. The Margaret Bruton Collection, housed in the Mayo Hayes O'Donnell Library Doud House Archive Storage in Monterey, contains photo prints of 27 of these maps. There maps were on display in the gallery of the New Monterey Neighborhood Center in 1966; this exhibition which offered a unique collection of photographic reproductions and original works in a variety of media by the Brutons.

In October–November, 1952 in the de Young Museum's during the "Contemporary Religious Art by California Artists" exhibition Margaret presented terrazzo work "Station XII".

Signature of Margaret Bruton. Monterey Harbor terrazzo.

Monterey Harbor marker with plaque by M. Bruton and sculpture by Paul McReynolds

She created a Monterey Harbour plaque with the characteristic signature MB. The marker is located to the east of the entrance to the Fisherman's Wharf.

Margaret Bruton created terrazzo tables including some for clients of Frances Elkins who had her design studio in the Robert Louis Stevenson House (Casa Blanca) in Monterey between 1927 and 1947.

Associations and legacy

Headstone of Daniel (1839-1928) and Helen (1866-1956), parents of Bruton's sisters. Cemetery El Encinal, Monterey, California. Place of rest of Bruton sisters.

Margaret was an active member of several art societies including the San Francisco Society of Women Artists, the Club (Galerie) Beaux Arts (116 Maiden Lane), California Society of Etchers, San Francisco Art Association, and the Progressive California Painters and Sculptors.

Throughout her career, Bruton was a part of multiple exhibitions, including group shows at the Club Beaux Arts, Bullock’s Little Gallery, and the Weyhe Gallery. In 1935, she had a retrospective exhibition at the Oakland Gallery.

Her works have been honored with numerous awards and are housed in collections at the Monterey Museum of Art, Oakland Museum of California, and the San Diego Museum of Art.

Death

Margaret Bell Bruton died in Monterey, California on August 29, 1983. She was cremated at the Little Chapel by-the Sea which was followed by inurnment. Her resting place is Cemetery El Encinal in Monterey, California.