Portrait of John Muir

While John Muir is best-known for his work as a naturalist, his adventure stories and conservation writings, and his advocacy for National Parks, he was a multi-faceted individual, family man, and businessman. Marrying into the Strentzel family in Martinez, CA, in 1880, he became manager of the family’s pioneering orchard business, which he ran successfully with his wife, Louie, and the support of two of his siblings and their families. While his travels in pursuit of natural knowledge and conservation are legendary, Muir often traveled at the request of friends and family members, including his two daughters, Helen and Wanda.

This portrait of John Muir was painted by Muir’s sister Mary Muir Hand. Muir exchanged more known correspondences with Mary than any other family member and the two visited each other throughout the years. The painting now hangs in the Muir family’s three-story Victorian-Italianate house on the remaining nine acres of the ranch that is the centerpiece of John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA. By experiencing objects such as this painting or furnished areas like the “scribble den” where Muir wrote, visitors can appreciate all of the influences that played a significant role in shaping the life and work of the man whose legacy the site honors.