John William Orth (California / Texas, 1889-1976), "White Mums", floral still life composition, oil on canvas, signed lower right, title written on the top stretcher bar

sight: 36 x 24 in., frame: 42 x 30 in.

Provenance: Property from a Kerens, Texas collection 

John W. Orth, born in Bavaria in 1889, was a classically trained artist whose education began with scholarships to Nuremberg's College of Fine Arts and Munich’s Academy of Fine Arts, later continuing at the Académie Julian in Paris and through travels studying the Old Masters. An accomplished painter by his early twenties, Orth received early recognition in Europe, including commissions from the Albrecht Dürer Museum and museum acquisitions. Fleeing political persecution, he immigrated to the United States in 1923, where he became known for his portraits of notable figures such as Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, and John F. Kennedy. His artistic range spanned from traditional portraits and landscapes to murals and "soul paintings"—deeply symbolic works reflecting his humanist ideals and psychological insights. Orth’s later work focused on evoking emotional and spiritual reflection, using his art to explore the struggles and dignity of the human experience.