Monterey Custom House

George Mathis

This lithograph by George Mathis depicts the Monterey Custom House in Monterey, California. The Custom House, originally built of stone and adobe by the Spanish in 1827, was replaced in 1841 by this structure designed by Thomas O. Larkin. Its purpose was to register all imported cargo of trading vessels. The building was claimed by the US after the Battle of Monterey on July 7, 1846, and is currently within the Monterey Historic Park. It is the oldest surviving government building in California.

George Mathis was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 26, 1909. Much of Mathis' childhood was spent indoors due to ailments stemming from Pagett's disease; this led to his early interest and self taught pursuit of art. After high school graduation, Mathis attended Washington State University. He studied landscape painting under William T. McDermott, and the subject would remain his primary theme throughout his career.

His artistic career began with commercial art, and he occasionally traded art for everyday goods and services. Mathis' art interests included photography, drawing, and painting at the time. He did not pursue printmaking until 1948, when he and his wife Jean moved to Nevada City, California. There, he opened a successful lithography studio, as well as a gallery that he and Jean ran together.

His prolific career included illustration work for the Aerojet Corporation in Sacramento, where he became known for his depictions of space, sketching the Gemini and Apollo space missions. George Mathis died in Santa Clara, California on September 28, 1977.