Eliza Rosanna Lamb Barchus (1857–1959) was a pioneering American landscape painter whose evocative depictions of the American West earned her the title “The Oregon Artist” and a lasting place in regional art history.

Early Life and Journey West

Born on December 4, 1857, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Eliza lost her father at a young age. Her mother remarried Jack McDonald, a U.S. Deputy Marshal, and the family led a nomadic life across the frontier, even encountering figures like Wild Bill Hickok . At 17, she married John V. Lansing, with whom she had two daughters, one of whom died in infancy. After their marriage ended, she married John H. Barchus in 1880 and moved to Portland, Oregon.

Artistic Career

In Portland, Barchus began studying painting under landscape artist William S. Parrott in 1884. She sold her first painting, of Mount Rainier, for $1 in 1885 . Her landscapes, featuring iconic scenes like Mount Hood, Crater Lake, and Yosemite, gained popularity. She won medals at the Portland Mechanics Fair in the late 1880s and gained national attention in 1890 when her large painting of Mount Hood was exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York City .

Barchus exhibited at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo and won a gold medal at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland for her Pacific Coast landscapes . She supported her family by selling her art through various venues, including the Portland Hotel and the Lichtenberger Art Emporium in Los Angeles. She also bartered paintings for goods and services.

Later Years and Legacy

After her husband’s death in 1899, Barchus continued to paint and teach art classes throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. She ceased painting in 1935 due to failing eyesight and arthritis. Barchus died on December 31, 1959, at the age of 102 and was buried in Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland .

In 1971, the Oregon Legislative Assembly posthumously honored her as “The Oregon Artist.” Her works are held in collections at institutions such as the Portland Art Museum, Oregon Historical Society, and Crater Lake National Park .

In 2023, Pittock Mansion in Portland hosted “Eliza Barchus: A Woman of Resilience,” the largest exhibition of her work to date, showcasing over 65 paintings and personal artifacts .

Eliza Barchus’s dedication to capturing the beauty of the American West and her perseverance in the face of personal and societal challenges have solidified her legacy as a significant figure in American art history.