Born in Baltimore, MD. on January 21, 1864. When Elmer was quite young, the Wachtel family moved to Lanark, IL. where he worked as a hired hand and taught himself to play the violin. At age 18, he moved to San Gabriel, CA. where his brother had married the sister of artist Guy Rose and was managing the large Rose ranch. He continued playing the violin and in 1888 became first violinist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. During this period his talent in drawing and painting began to emerge and in 1900 he had saved enough money for one year of study in New York City at the Art Students League under William M. Chase and in London at the Lambeth School.

After returning to California, he lived in Los Angeles with his parents on Griffin Avenue where he continued to paint in his leisure while supplementing his income as a professional violinist. By 1903 his reputation as a painter was such that William Keith sent him one of his young pupils, Marion Kavanaugh. It was love at first sight and they married in 1904. Their early married life was spent in a studio on Sichel Street while they later had a studio-home on Mt. Washington until building their final home in the Arroyo Seco of Pasadena. The Wachtels traveled around Southern California in a specially-built motor car designed to accommodate their artistic needs. They continued painting and exhibiting together until his sudden death while on a sketching trip in Guadalajara, Mexico. Wachtel’s early works were landscapes done in moody, dark tones; whereas his palette later lightened and his works became more decorative. He is today considered one of Southern California’s most important painters.

Member: Los Angeles Art Association (cofounder); Ten Painters of California

Exhibited: California Midwinter International Exposition, 1894; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1915 (solo)

Awards: Prizes, Mark Hopkins Institute, 1902, 1906

Works Held: Laguna Museum of Art; The Irvine Museum, Ca.; Oakland Museum of California; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.