The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-02-27
WIDELY KNOWN SAN FRANCISCO
ARTIST.
Soldier, Traveller and Citizen of the
World He Has Had Large Influence
on the Pacific Coast.

Solly Walter died yesterday after
noon, of consumption, at Waikiki Inn.
aged 90 years. ConfOrmably to his own
request, the body was incinerated. The
Board of Health for this purpose CIV
ing the use of the government crema-
tory, and the remains were reduced TO
ashes at daybreak this morning. The
mortuary urn will be placed in the
vault at Nuuanu cemetery at $3.50
o'clock tomorrow afternoon. There
will be a service there conducted by
Rev. Alexander Macintosh.
Solly Walter was a citizen of the
world in the best sense of that term.
Born in Vienna, he served as a cavalry
officer in the war of 1866, an attache OF
the colonel of his regiment. His fam
lily is one of prominence in Austria,
several members of it occupying pro-
minent positions in the government, a
brother being government director OF
railroads. Solly Walter had artistic
tastes and an artistic temperament. He
| early devoted himself to a sincere
study of art in the ateliers and under
the best masters in Paris. He visited
many parts of the world living for Il
considerable time in Constantinople.
all the while doing much meritOrlous
work with palette and brush.
He came to America about 1878, and
married in New York in 1888. Coming
to San Francisco soon afterwards, he
lOhHh lildl City just dNdhtulllB 10 n
| general appreciation of art, and in the
beginnings of a popular art education
which has been manifested in many
ways and has brought 1T to an art
| plane of which it may have pardonaDle
| pride. 1t was in this awakening period
| that Soly Walter found his life work.
| AS a teacher of drawing and paint
! ing, he attracted, by the thorough
| genuine and clear views he had Of the
| principles of art and the simple, force
| full and persuasive way he had of pre-
| senting them, very many to his classes
| besides those who came with the DIS
| tinct object of learning the technique
! of drawing and painting His classes
| were a center of art education and art
| appreciation. And in this way he had
| a large place and large though un-
trumpeted influence in San Francisco
| and on the coast
But his work was not confined to his
| classes. AS an illustrator and design
er he was indefatigable, resourceful
and apt Never forgetful of the true
aims of pictorial art, he had a practt-
cal sense in the adjustment of the
mechanical means of reproducing IL
lustration. to the effect he desired to
produce, that made him an important
factor in the evolution of newspaper
and magazine illustration on the Pa
cific coast. His work has appeared IN
nearly every periodical publication IN
san Francisco, and gave him wider
reputation and made his name more
publicity familiar than his class work.
though the latter was nearer his heart.
He was a member of the Bohemian
Club of San Francisco, and some of
his best work, the most con amore eff
forts of his pencil and brush, was done
in the service of that club and is pre-
served among it's many and valuable
treasures.
His health began to fail some months
ago, and about six weeks ago, accom-
panied by Mrs. Walter, he came to Ho-
nolulu on the barkentine Archer in the
hope that the sea voyage and the clim-
ate here would benefit his health. In
this he was disappointed. For some
days before his death it was evident
he was steadily sinking. Everything
that medical skill, the devotion of his
: wife or the attention of friends at the
Inn could do, was done. Hc passed
: away at 2!SO o'clock yesterday.