Albert Abraham Michelson was born in Germany in 1853. Michelson came to California with his parents in the 1850s. He was appointed by U.S. Grant to attend the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He was the first American physicist to win a Nobel prize. As a hobby, he painted watercolors. He retired to Pasadena in 1925 and died there on May 9, 1931.
Exh: Pasadena Art Inst., 1931.
Source: Edan Hughes, author of the book "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Death Record; LA Times, 5-11-1931 & NY Times, 5-12-1931 (obits).Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here