It is sometimes difficult to separate fact from fiction concerning the life of Leonardo Barbieri. He arrived in California in the late 1840s, supposedly to paint the portraits of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Monterey, yet none of these portraits have ever surfaced. He supposedly was executed by the Mexican government in 1854, yet documentation places him in Peru a short time later. As one writer who attempted to trace Barbieri’s life complained, she ended up “embarking on a wild goose chase after a man of mystery.” Nonetheless, he left behind a wonderful visual record of some of California’s most powerful families.
Barbieri was born in Savoy, Italy, around 1810. He studied art in Lyons and could speak Italian, French, and Spanish. In 1844, he landed in Buenos Aires. The reason behind his journey remains unknown; there are hints of some personal misfortune, although simple wanderlust may have played a role.
He made a modest living, primarily by painting portraits on commission. He also taught painting for a short time at a university in Bolivia. He was drawn to California by rumors of the riches that could be made in the gold fields. He probably arrived in California sometime in 1849. He found that striking it rich was easier said than done, and he soon settled in San Francisco, where he once again took up his paintbrushes.