John Bond Francisco was an American painter associated with the early California school of Impressionism. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1863, he became recognized as an accomplished California painter, his Impressionist mountain and desert landscapes featured the dramatic lighting effects influenced by his early training in the Barbizon School in France. As one of the earliest landscape painters to live in Los Angeles, his paintings were highly sought after by collectors.
He studied art and music at Ohio State University and also went to Europe, painting with Fechner in Berlin and Nauen in Munich. In Paris, he studied at the Julian and Colarossi Academies, and his teachers were William Adolphe Bouguereau, Tony Robert-Fleury, and Gustave Courtois. He also painted in Switzerland, Germany, and France, and took violin lessons in Berlin and Paris.
In 1887, he settled in Los Angeles where he married and spent the remainder of his life, combining careers of fine art painting and music. His home and studio at 1401 Albany Street became a popular gathering place for artists and musicians. In 1897, he helped form the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra and was its first concert master.
Francisco traveled and painted California's and the southwest's varied landscapes, often he was seen painting with fellow landscapist Elmer Wachtel. He was first in northern Arizona in 1906 as a guest of the Santa Fe Railroad, and one of his Grand Canyon views was used for a travel ad. He passed away in Los Angeles in 1931.
