Walter Frederick Seely
Personal
Gender: Male
Date of Death: July 14, 1959
Birth Place: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Death Place: Hollywood, CA
Walter Frederick Seely
Movieland Portrait Artist Seeley (sic), 73, Dies
HOLLYWOOD (UPI) – Walter Frederick Seely, 73, motion picture portrait photographer and painter, died Tuesday, after a brief illness.
Seeley, (sic) a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, had made paintings and photographs of motion picture personalities since 1915. He was a past president of the California Art Club.
Press-Telegram (Long Beach,), Wednesday, July 15, 1959 Page B-6
Seely Brothers Recall “Good Old Days in Eureka
W. Frederick Seely, portrait-painter from Los Angeles, is here visiting his brother, Ed, at 251 Brett street. The latter is owner of Seely’s Redwood studio in Arcata. As brothers usually do when they get together after a period of separation and they have reached the late 60’s in life, they began reminiscing. The years roll away – W.F. and Ed are in their twenties – it is between 1907 and 1911. Alexander “Sandy” and Dick, two other brothers, are in a joint ownership of a portrait studio here in Eureka.
One of their favorite memories is the four year period when the four brothers were in business together. In their spare hours they formed a quartet which, the two brothers now claim, was in demand everywhere. Now and then for variety the Seely brothers would practice with the Monroe brothers and then a double quartet would give the often remember music of the old-time barbershop quartets. Old-timers probably can recall the time the Seely brothers would come in to sing the closing number for the lodge, appear for special numbers at the churches or at nearly any of the community affairs.
In 1911 the quartet split with Alexander and W.F. leaving to enter business elsewhere. The latter, well known here for his portraits began work for Hartsook Studios in Los Angeles. He remained with these people for five years and then opened his own studio. Now W.F. has a portrait studio on the famed “strip” or Sunset Boulevard near Beverly Hills. Here he has painted the children of such noted Hollywood stars as Harold Lloyd, Alan Ladd, Abbott and Costello and Gordon McCrae. Seely comes from a family of 12 of which seven are still living. He arrived here Tuesday night and will remain until next Tuesday.
Humboldt Standard, Thursday, September 2, 1954, Page 6
[Great-grandson of SGS #3223 – Walter Frederick; Charles Frederic; Alexander William; Richard (#3223); Seth (#1425); Seth; Obadiah; Obadiah; Obadiah; Obadiah]
