The Emperor Norton Trust

Detail from lithograph of First Annual Encampment of the Second Bridge C.M.; Brigadier General Ellis, Commanding; Reviewed by His Excellency Gov. Stanford; Brigade Drill and Shamfight Oct. 14th 1863 (1863), by T. Grob. Stanford University Archives. Click this image to view the full painting. Emperor Norton is seen at the bottom speaking with two others, one of whom appears to be Frederick Coombs a.k.a. George Washington II (d. 1874). [Added 7.6.2016]

The Promenade (1860s), artist unknown. This group illustration shows Emperor Norton on the right. The appearance of Frederick Coombs, the self-styled George Washington II, on the left points to an 1860s date for the work, as Coombs was active in San Francisco for much of that decade but had left and was in New York City by 1868. Source: The Forgotten Characters of Old San Francisco (The Ward Richie Press, 1964); credited there as being from the collection of Robert G. Cowan (1895-1993). [Added 8.17.2016] 

“Norton der Erste, Kaiser der Vereinigten Staaten und Protector von Mexico,” illustration by Johann Carl Wilhelm Aarland (1822–1906) based on a c.1867 photograph by Bradley & Rulofson studio. Originally published in the German magazine Die Gartenlaube, No. 47, November 1870, p.791. Image source: Wikimedia Commons. Original publication: Wikisource. [Added 10.14.2018]

Emperor Norton bond for 50 cents, signed and dated 1 August 1878. The bond features the same engraving of the Emperor that appeared on all his bonds dating to at least 1871. (To view an 1871 bond that is in the collection of the Wells Fargo Museum, click here.) Source: iCollector. [Added 7.7.2016]

Painting by Virgil Williams (1830–1886), c.1870s. Possibly a copy by Leola Hall Coggins (1881–1930). Charcoal, chalk, and ink wash, 35.3 cm x 26.4 cm. Collection of the Bancroft Library at the University of California Berkeley. Source: Calisphere. [Added 6.10.2016]

Illustration, 1874, by Palmer Cox (1840–1924). The illustration appeared in Cox's Squibs of California, or, Every-Day Life Illustrated (Mutual Publishing Company and A. Roman & Co., 1874), p. 69. Source: Internet Archive [Added 6.10.2016]

"The Three Prominent Men of San Francisco, Cal.", c.1873–74, by George Frederick Keller (1846–1927). Originally published in Thistleton’s Jolly Giant. Source: Portrait Collection, California Historical Society, PC-PT_00191. A modified version of the Norton illustration accompanied a piece on Norton that appeared in the San Francisco Bulletin of 20 December 1913. This later version is here. [Added 2.11.2018]

Painting, 1877, by Addie Ballou (1838–1916). This is a portrait for which Emperor Norton is known to have sat personally. Source: Society of California Pioneers [Added 5.10.2016]

Painting, 1879, by Oscar Kunath (1830–1909). The two books where this painting is reproduced provide different institutional credits. One cites the California Historical Society; the other cites the Society of California Pioneers. But neither of these has a record of the painting. Source: The Forgotten Characters of Old San Francisco (The Ward Richie Press, 1964). [Added 8.17.2016]

Illustration in article, "Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico; His Majesty's Manner of Life; The Humble Home and Magnificent Pretensions of a Well-Known San Francisco Character," San Francisco Chronicle, 9 November 1879. This front-page profile, based on an interview with the Emperor himself, appeared in the Chronicle two months before the Emperor's death (view here). Collection of the California State Library. © San Francisco Chronicle. [Added 2.16.2017]

Portrait by George Frederick Keller (1846–1927). This appeared on the cover of the San Francisco Illustrated Wasp, V4 N181, 17 January 1880. Collection of the California State Library. Source: Internet Archive (click here to see full cover and enlarge with greatest clarity). This work also was produced as a lithograph. [Added 1.8.2017]

“Emperor Norton I,” woodcut illustration for article, “Emperor Norton I” (Sketches of California series), in The Illini, volume 9, number 6, March 1880, p. 174. Source: Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections. [Added 3.17.2019]

"Nortonus Rex." Auction-listed as "19th century bone scrimshaw" but possibly a later work on resin, 6¼" x 2¾". This view of Emperor Norton is one of three engraved images on the piece — the other two being (a) a view of Norton's gravestone and (b) the Eye of Providence symbol, traditionally associated with Freemasonry. Source: Treasureseeker Auctions [Added 7.18.2024]

Illustration of Emperor Norton. Published with article, “After S’Teen Years,” San Francisco Examiner, 2 December 1888, p. 10. Article reflected on changes in San Francisco in the sixteen years since 1872. Source: Newspapers.com [Added 10.5.2020]

Illustration by Charles William Saalburg (1865–1950). Undated but possibly published in The Wasp magazine between 1889 and 1892, when Saalburg was a staff illustrator there. Source: Charles W. Saalburg, "San Francisco of the '80s Abounded in Notables," The New York Times, 3 January 1926 (pdf). (For more about Saalburg, see this 2016 article by John Adcock.) [Added 8.31.2016]

Emperor Norton, Reviewing the University Battalion at Berkeley (1892), by Solly Walter (1846–1900). This originally appeared as an illustration for Francis E. Sheldon's article, "Street Characters of San Francisco," in The Overland Monthly of May 1892. Original article: Making of America. Image: Richard Schwartz, Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley (RSB Books, 2007). [Added 8.17.2016]

Illustration for item previewing musical revue, Miss Frisco, opening at the Tivoli Opera House. San Francisco Chronicle, 6 June 1897, p. 5. Source: Genealogy Bank. [Added 12.18.2022]

Drawing of 1869 photograph by Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904) in San Francisco Chronicle, 9 July 1899. The drawing was an illustration for a feature "A Relic of the Later Sixties: The Later Emperor Norton on an Old-Time Velocipede." Click on image to view the full feature. Source: Newspapers.com. [Added 7.11.2016]

Emperor Norton, illustration, 1905. This appeared in The Wasp, 11 Nov 1905, page 717, with a brief item headlined “A ‘Benevolent Despot.’” To see the original, click here. Collection of the California State Library. Source: Internet Archive. [Added 10.23.2020]

"In the Reign of Emperor Norton," in the San Francisco Call newspaper of Sunday 18 August 1907. Artwork for article, "San Francisco: The City of Sulphites," by Will Scarlet. Source: California Digital Newspaper Collection. [Added 7.22.2016]

Illustration in the San Francisco Call  newspaper of Sunday 27 September 1908. Artwork for article, "Personal Recollections of Norton I, Emperor of the United States," by Addie L. Ballou. Source: California Digital Newspaper Archive. [Added 7.22.2016]

Emperor Norton, in the Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 January 1914, p.11. New illustration for reprinted excerpt of feature that originally appeared in the San Francisco Bulletin on 20 December 1913. Inspired by the left-hand photograph of the Emperor on this 1879 cabinet card. The illustration of the Emperor himself was used 25 years later, for the front dust jacket of Allen Stanley Lane’s 1939 book, Emperor Norton: Mad Monarch of America. Source: Newspapers.com [Added 6.12.2021]

Cropped "cameo" single-color version of 1880 color painting by George Frederick Keller (1846–1927). This image appeared as an illustration for Robert Ernest Cowan's essay, "Norton I: Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico," in California Historical Society Quarterly, vol. 2, no. 3, October 1923. (See original version elsewhere in this gallery.) [Added 6.10.2016]

Drawing, 1927, by Albert Dressler (1887–1960). Part of Dressler's 10 November 1927 inscription in a presentation copy of his self-published book Emperor Norton of the United States (1927). Photograph: Lynne Taylor, as seen at Falcone Coins & Collectibles, San Jose, Calif. [Added 7.22.2016]

Undated and uncredited painting at the hofbrau Tommy's Joynt, in San Francisco. Photograph © Annetta Black. [Added 6.10.2016]

Detail from mural, 1935, by Antonio Sotomayor (1904–1985). Located in the Happy Valley Room of the Palace Hotel, San Francisco, the mural depicts Emperor Norton, Mark Twain, Bret Harte and other San Francisco notables of that period. See description in A Survey of Art Work in the City and County of San Francisco, SF Art Commission, 1953, here. Photograph © 2011 Scott Cox. [Added 6.24.2016]

Illustration of Emperor Norton, 1938, by Lloyd Wulf (1913–1965). Featured in Almanac for Thirty-Niners (James Ladd Delkin, 1938), a book by WPA writers and Wulf, a WPA artist, published in connection with the Golden Gate International Exposition, which opened in 1939. The book was funded by the Bret Harte Associates of California. [Added 5.4.2022]

Front dust jacket of Emperor Norton: Mad Monarch of America (1939), biography by Allen Stanley Lane. The illustration of the Emperor himself was adapted from an illustration that had appeared in the Cincinnati Inquirer in January 2014; see the original. © 1939 The Caxton Printers, Ltd. [Added 6.27.2016]

Emperor Norton, 1939, by Harry Ross Grissinger (1887–1966) for the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA). Lead illustration for feature, “America’s Own ‘Hitler,’” The Arizona Republic, 23 April 1939, Section 5 (Sunday magazine), p. 7. Source: Newspapers.com [Added 6.23.2021]

Illustration, 1939, by Pierre Vittier (1906–1998). Source: Front cover art for David Warren Ryder, San Francisco's Emperor Norton (1939). [Added 8.17.2016]

Illustration, 1939, by Pierre Vittier (1906–1998). Source: Artwork in David Warren Ryder, San Francisco's Emperor Norton (1939). [Added 8.17.2016]

Illustration, 1939, by Pierre Vittier (1906–1998). Source: Artwork in David Warren Ryder, San Francisco's Emperor Norton (1939). [Added 8.17.2016]

Illustration, 1939, by Pierre Vittier (1906–1998). Source: Artwork in David Warren Ryder, San Francisco's Emperor Norton (1939). [Added 8.17.2016]

Illustration, 1939, by Lois Hanscom (1915–1995). Included in the tourist guide Let's Have Fun in San Francisco: A Handbook to the City (1939), by Edith Shelton and Elizabeth Field. [Added 6.10.2016]

Detail of “The ‘Emp’” from San Francisco Chinatown and Environs: A Scrapbook Map. By Kenneth Gwinn Cathcart (1902–1985), working from 1938 to 1958. © 2016 Schein and Schein. Source: Schein and Schein. See full map here. (Jim Schein’s book on the Cathcart map, Gold Mountain, Big City (Cameron Books), was published in March 2020. Learn more and order here.) [Added 12.15.2019]

Emperor Norton, illustration, 1945. Detail from an ad for Roos Bros. clothiers, San Francisco Examiner, 10 May 1945, p.5. Full ad here. Source: Newspapers.com [Added 8.30.2024]

Illustration of Emperor Norton, 1945, by Nicholas Dunphy (1896–1955). This appeared in The Saturday Evening Post of 11 August 1945, as an illustration for an article, “The Strange Story of Emperor Norton,” by David Warren Ryder (pdf here). The text was a reprint of a piece Ryder had produced earlier in 1945 for his booklet, Storied San Francisco, published by the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company to commemorate that year’s founding of the United Nations. © The Saturday Evening Post Society. [Added 3.31.2020]

Illustration of Emperor Norton, pen and ink, 1948, by Antonio Sotomayor (1904–1985). This is one of Sotomayor’s illustrations for Robert O’Brien’s book, This Is San Francisco (Whittlesey House / McGraw-Hill, 1948). The book is a collection of O’Brien’s “Riptides” columns for the San Francisco Chronicle. [Added 11.13.2019]

Detail from Emperor Norton panel in one-page feature “Sure as Shootin,’” Desperado No. 4, October 1948 (Lev Gleason Publications), p. 2. By Claude Moore. Source: Digital Comics Museum [Added 10.20.2024]

Emperor Norton, illustration, 1949, by Hubert Buel (1915–1984). Buel was the longtime staff artist, later promotions manager, for the San Francisco Chronicle. This work appeared in the Chronicle’s Sunday magazine, This World, on 25 December 1949, with “Twice-Told Tales About San Francisco,” a review of a book, San Francisco Kaleidoscope, by Samuel Dickson. © San Francisco Chronicle. [Added 4.19.2020]

Illustration of Emperor Norton, 1949, by James W. Masterson (1894–1970). For “It Happened in California” feature, Redwood City Tribune, 9 September 1949. p. 2. Source: Newspapers.com [Added 5.30.2023]

Detail of 1951 concept sketch for Emperor Norton ballet, by Antonio Sotomayor (1904–1985). The original sketches were exhibited at the Gump Galleries in July 1951. The ballet, Emperor Norton, was debuted in November 1957 by the San Francisco Ballet. This detail, from “‘Norton I’ to be Theme of Ballet?” San Francisco Examiner, 8 July 1951, Sunday Pictorial Review, p. 21. Source: Newspapers.com [Added 2.9.2022]

Mural, 1951, by Eugene Alexander Montgomery (1905–2001). This is one of a series of San Francisco-themed large-scale color murals at the Sears store at Geary and Masonic Streets in San Francisco — lining the upper portions of the walls on the first floor — from the time the store opened in 1951 apparently until the store closed in 1990. Note the depiction of Emperor Norton at bottom left. For more on the artist and the murals, visit this site. [Added 9.18.2020]

“One Gold Crown” note from “The Royal Treasury of Norton I,” promotional souvenir, 1953, San Francisco Chronicle. Front view. That year, the Grand Marshal of San Francisco’s Thanksgiving Day parade was “Emperor Norton,” who gave thousands of these notes to children, who could redeem them as tickets for single rides at Playland-at-the-Beach. See reverse view here. Both images courtesy of Heritage Auctions. [Added 3.30.2020]

Illustration in advertisement for episode of Telephone Time (CBS): “Emperor Norton’s Bridge,” Season 1, Episode 8, 1956. Ad in New York Daily News, 19 August 1956. Source: Newspapers.com. View full ad here. View episode in The Emperor’s Bridge Campaign’s digital ARchive of Emperor Norton in Art, Music & Film (ARENA) here. [Added 1.7.2019]

Emperor Norton with Bummer and Lazarus, 1958, by “Senter.” This illustration accompanied Joe Smith’s Tales of the Sierra column, “Bummer and Lazarus Were Inseparable Pals,” Sacramento Bee, 21 June 1958, p. 37. Source: Newspapers.com [Added 10.12.2020]

Emperor Norton, 1961, by William Hamilton Maximillian Weber (1920–1996). Weber did this painting for the San Francisco Chronicle while he was “director of special arts projects” for the paper. For more, see the Trust’s February 2019 article here. Photo: Ken McLaughlin. Source: San Francisco Chronicle Photo Archive. Special thanks to Chronicle writer Peter Hartlaub. [Added 1.18.2023]

“Emperor Norton Lives,” Wells Fargo ad, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 August 1970, p.10. One of three teasers that appeared in the Chronicle in late August 1970 to roll out a promotional campaign based on Old West characters. The campaign and artwork were by the firm of McCann-Erickson. Source: San Francisco Public Library. [Added 12.11.2020]

Emperor Norton, 1981, sketch by Virginia Ribbel (1913–2010). Illustration for article, “Joshua A. Norton I — The Kindliest ‘Emperor of Them All” (Yesterday in the West column), San Diego Union, 4 October 1981, Section G (Travel), p. 2. Source: Genealogy Bank. [Added 5.10.2022]

Mural at Hilton Union Square, San Francisco. Lost, 2017. Previously located in the parking garage entrance on Ellis Street near Mason. Creator and date unknown. Photograph © 2014 Larry Jones. Source: Street Art SF. [Added 6.27.2016]

Detail of "Jazz Mural" (1987; restored by the artist 2004), by Bill Weber. Located on Broadway at Grant Avenue, San Francisco. Photograph © 2019 Joseph Amster. For views of the full mural, see Bill Weber’s site here. [Added 3.10.2019]

Illustration of Emperor Norton, 1987, by Shahn Hashimoto (1943–2019). Oil. This was the front cover art for Kazuo Sayama’s 1987 Japanese-language biography, A Story of the Man Who Became the American Emperor (Ushio Publishing). [Added 6.14.2022]

Detail from flyer for Emperor Norton Days, July 1989 — carnival at Center Center Plaza, San Francisco, produced by the SF Police Activities League. Learn more via Campaign research here. Full flyer here. Source: Ron Quintana (Facebook). [Added 7.17.2019]

“Emperor Norton,” 1989 or later, by Matthew M. [last name undetermined]. A clue to the date of the painting is that the work is on a Fredrix canvas panel with a back label that features two taglines: “Since 1868” and “Serving Artists for over 120 years” — indicating that the canvas itself is from 1989 or later. Image source: Kai Wada Roath. [Added 1.10.2023]

Emperor Norton, 1990, by Tom Bloom. Illustration for Jed Stevenson’s Coins column, New York Times, 9 December 1990, section 1, p.84. © New York Times [Added 1.15.2022]

Illustration for official t-shirt of Congenial VII, 1995, by Ray VanTilburg (b. 1951). Original artwork, pen and ink on acetate. Congenial was a annual sci-fi con held in Wisconsin (Madison or Racine) from 1989 to 1999. The con often is described as having been a “relaxacon,” as it placed more emphasis on informal networking, selling and socializing than on formal programming. Artist’s Etsy stores here and here. Source: eBay [Added 1.26.2022]

Emperor Norton poster (late 20th or early 21st century). Offset lithograph paper, 14” x 8.375”. All of Us or None Archive, Oakland Museum of California. Source: OMCA. [Added 12.12.2019]

Front cover of the cloth edition of Emperor Norton: A Command Performance (2002), the 97th Grove Play of the Bohemian Club. Written by Howard Guy Ervin III. Book designed and produced by the Arion Press. Artwork by William C. Matthews (b. 1949). © 2002 Bohemian Club. [Added 7.11.2016]

"Emperor Norton I" (2005), wood engraving by Jim Westergard (b. 1939). Included in Oddballs (2011), a collection of Westergard's portrait engravings originally published in a limited edition of 30 by Heavenly Monkey studio. © 2005 Jim Westergard. Source: Jim Westergard. [Added 6.15.2016]

Detail of San Francisco Chocolate Factory mural (2005–6) by Jerry Warmsley, Jr., and Alyssa Morgan. Lost, 2016. Previously located at the Factory's former offices and retail shop at 286 12th Street, San Francisco. Photograph © 2014 Larry Jones. Source: Street Art SF. To view the full mural, click here. [Added 6.28.2016]

Flyer for 2009 Los Angeles production of Emperor Norton: The Musical, by Kim Ohanneson and Marty Axelrod. Artwork, 2007, by Zoe Axelrod. Source: Zombie Joe's. [Added 6.28.2016]

Emperor Norton, line drawing with digital inks and color, 2007. By D.T. Butchino. This illustration originally appeared in Digital Hero #41 (January 2007). Digital Hero was the online magazine for Hero Games, the publisher of a generic role-playing rules set known as the Hero System. Illustration © 2007 DOJ, Inc. Source: Dave Mattingly. [Added 4.15.2020]

Illustration, 2008, by Dennis Palmer (1957-2013). Artwork for 2009 CD of Gino Robair's opera, I, Norton. © 2008 Dennis Palmer. Source: Dennis Palmer. [Added 6.13.2016]

Illustration, 2008, by Dennis Palmer (1957-2013). Artwork for 2009 CD of Gino Robair's opera, I, Norton. © 2008 Dennis Palmer. Source: Dennis Palmer. [Added 6.13.2016]

Emperor Norton, digital, 2008, by Cody Clark (b. 1984). Source: Deviant Art (artist gallery here). © Cody Clark [Added 3.1.2021]

Painting, 2008, by Jeremy Fish (b. 1974). © 2008 Jeremy Fish. Source: Jeremy Fish. [Added 6.17.2016]

"Emperor Norton" (2008), by Brenton Bostwick (b.1980). Acrylic on canvas. © 2008 Brenton Bostwick. Source: Deviant Art. [Added 6.15.2016]

Detail from Only in San Francisco (2009), by Guy Colwell (b. 1945). Large-scale, multi-paneled mural at the Pritikin Museum, San Francisco. Photograph © 2014 San Francisco Chronicle. [Added 6.28.2016]

Emperor Norton, 2009, by Buzz Bain (b. 1954). Ink and acrylic on paper, 11” x 14”. © 2009 by Buzz Bain. Source: Flickr (254buzz). [Added 4.7.2023]

Illustration, 2009, by Kate Beaton (b. 1983). © 2009 Kate Beaton. Source: Hark! A Vagrant [Added 6.10.2016]

Detail from illustration, 2009, by Josh Ellingson (b. 1977) for a special issue of The Bay Bridged, a blog, podcast and event producer focusing on the San Francisco Bay Area's independent music scene. © 2009 Josh Ellingson. Source: Josh Ellingson. [Added 6.18.2016]

"Emperor Norton I" (2009), by Ned Kane.  © 2009 Ned Kane. Source: Deviant Art. [Added 6.17.2016]

"Emperor Norton I" (2010), by Michael D. Morgan. Originally exhibited at the 2010 Artcrank SF group show of bicycle-themed poster art. Inspired by an 1869 photograph of Emperor Norton by Eadweard Muybridge. Limited edition print on view at Emperor Norton's Boozeland, San Francisco. © 2010 Michael D. Morgan. [Added 6.15.2016]

"The Emperor of America" (2010), by Ylva Lundberg. Acrylics and enamel on wood. © 2010 Ylva Lundberg. Source: Armadillo Artifacts. [Added 6.17.2016]

Emperor Norton, 2010, by Angela Smets (b. 1965). Pen and ink with digital color. Illustration for online version of a radio story on Emperor Norton that aired on public radio station Bayern 2 of the Munich-based broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), in Germany. © 2010 Angela Smets (For other art by Angela Smets, see her website.) [Added 6.15.2021]

Letterpress print of linoleum carving, 2011, by Christine Dryer Sarigianis (b. 1984). Illustration for "The Proclamations of Emperor Norton," a letterpress sheet printed in an edition of 25 by the Sharp Teeth Press (now known as The Prototype Press) in Oakland, California. (Click on image to see the full sheet.) © 2011 Sharp Teeth Press. [Added 7.19.2016]

Drawing, 2011, by Bill Rubin. Woodblock print by the artist. © 2011 Source: DeviantArt [Added 7.30.2017]

Emperor Norton tattoo, 2011, by Angel Saunders. Source: Fyeahtattoos. [Added 7.13.2016]

"Emperor Norton and the 23-Dollar Bill" (2012), by James Fuller. © 2012 James Fuller. Source: Originally posted at IdiotLogick.com [Added 6.15.2016]

"Emperor Norton" (2012), by Vincent Sammy. Illustration for the book, Pandemonium: Lost Souls (Jurassic London). Illustration © 2012 Vincent Sammy. Source: Deviant Art.

Emperor Norton, 2012, by Travis J. Dow (b. 1982). Oil on stretched canvas, 40cm x 50cm. This work featured on the cover of the 21 February – 6 March 2013 issue of the Bay Times. It has been exhibited in Prague and now is in a private collection in Germany. Artist's website. Source: Travis J. Dow [Added 6.10.2024]

"Emperor Norton" (2012), by Nathaniel Russell. Artwork for the musician Chuck Prophet's 2012 album, Temple Beautiful. © 2012 Nathaniel Russell. Source: Crooked Arm. [Added 6.17.2016]

Illustration, 2012, by John Dunbar Kilburn (b.1978). © 2012 John Dunbar Kilburn. Source: John Dunbar Kilburn. [Added 6.17.2016]

Label design, 2012, for Raff Distillerie's Emperor Norton Absinthe Dieu, by Austin Design Group. © 2012 Austin Design Group. Source: Austin Design Group. [Added 7.7.2016]

Illustration, 2012, by Jeremy Fish (b. 1974). © 2012 Jeremy Fish. Source: Fecal Face. [Added 6.17.2016]

Drawing, 2013, by Jeff Heermann. Pen and Ink. © 2013 Source: Art in Haste [Added 6.30.2017]

Emperor Norton tattoo, 2013, by Thaoe Rivas. Done at Cold Steel Tattoo in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco. Source: Katelyn Roberts. [Added 7.13.2017]

“Emperor Norton,” 2013, by Steve Kupp, Jr. (b. 1981). Pastels on collagraph paper. Artist’s website. Etsy. © 2013 Steve Kupp, Jr. [Added 1.11.2022]

Emperor Norton, 2014, by Ryan Wood (b. 1972). © 2014 Ryan Wood. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Ryan Wood [Added 2.27.2023]

"Emperor Norton" (2014), by Kaytea Petro (b. 1978). © 2014 Kaytea Petro. Source: Untitled version at ArtSpan. [Added 6.16.2016]

"Le Roi Est Mort" (2014), water color and India ink, by Brian Stannard. Commissioned by Emperor Norton's Boozeland, San Francisco, and on view at the bar. © 2014 Brian Stannard. Source: Brian Stannard. [Added 6.15.2016]

"The Emperor Norton" (2014), by Rachel Schafer. © 2014 Rachel Schafer. Source: Rachel Schafer. [Added 6.17.2016]

"We Are All God's Children" (2014), by Marcia Wilson. © 2014 Marcia Wilson. Source: Deviant Art. [Added 6.15.2016]

Illustration, 2014, by Anna Haifisch (b. 1986). For Jeff Campagna's essay, "The Original San Francisco Eccentric." © 2014 Anna Haifisch. Source: Narrative.ly. [Added 6.17.2016]

Illustration, 2014, by Anna Haifisch (b. 1986). For Jeff Campagna's essay, "The Original San Francisco Eccentric." © 2014 Anna Haifisch. Source: Narrative.ly. [Added 6.17.2016]

"Emperor Joshua Norton" (2014), by Peter Glanting. © 2014 Peter Glanting. Part of Glanting’s series, Eggs of History. Source: Delicate Adventures. [Added 6.20.2016]

Detail of mural, 2014, by Andrei Bouzikof, at Emperor Norton's Boozeland, San Francisco. Located in the rear garden. Photograph: Emperor Norton's Boozeland. For a more complete view of the mural, click here. [Added 6.28.2016]

"Emperor Norton" (2014), watercolor, by Debra Styer (b. 1971). © 2014 Debra Styer. Source: Blue Hour Studio. [Added 6.18.2016]

Emperor Norton, 2014, by Mike Gray (b. 1948). Illustration for graphic identity of a documentary-in-progress, Norton the First. © 2014 Mike Gray. Source: Jesse Chandler. [Added 7.22.2016]

Drawing, 2015, by S. Bell. Detail from Web comic Silver & Gold. © 2015 Fugu Press. Source: Silver and Gold. [Added 6.18.2016]

"Mayor of Proclamations" (2015), by Jeremy Fish (b. 1974). Created for the show O Glorious City, on view at San Francisco City Hall from 4 November 2015 to 25 March 2016. © 2015 Jeremy Fish. Source: Jeremy Fish. [Added 6.24.2016]

"Norton's Tattoos" (2015), by Jeremy Fish (b. 1974). Created for the show O Glorious City, on view at San Francisco City Hall from 4 November 2015 to 25 March 2016. © 2015 Jeremy Fish. Source: Jeremy Fish. [Added 6.24.26]

"Name It After Norton" (2015), by Jeremy Fish (b. 1974). Created for the show O Glorious City, on view at San Francisco City Hall from 4 November 2015 to 25 March 2016. © 2015 Jeremy Fish. Source: Jeremy Fish. [Added 6.17.2016]

Drawing, 2015, by Joe Smith (b. 1969). Pen and ink. Source: Joe Smith [Added 6/25/2016]

Illustration, 2015, by Dan Kuhlken for DKNG Studios. Bottle-printed label of Emperor Norton Ale by Almanac Beer Co. © 2015 Almanac Beer Co. Source: DKNG Studios [Added 6.14.2016]

Painting, 2016, by Sam Flores (b. 1975). This piece hung in the former restaurant Cockscomb, in San Francisco, which commissioned the work. © 2016 Sam Flores. Photograph: Peter Kazanjy [Added 3.25.2017]

“His Imperial Majesty, Norton I” (2016), by Anna Papkov (b.1981). Ink on watercolor paper, 14” x 20”. ©2016 Anna Papkov. Source: Anna Papkov. [Added 10.11.2018]

"Emperor Norton" (2016), by Minae Lee.  © 2016 Minae Lee. Source: Minae Lee. [Added 6.16.2016]

“Joshua Abraham Norton,” 2017, by Heebum Chun (b. 1974). Pen and ink on a receipt. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Billyonstage [Added 5.5.2023]

"#Resist," March 2017, by Aaron Almanza. Linocut print. ©2017 Aaron Almanza. Source: Aaron Almanza. [Added 8.15.2017]

“Our Emperor,” 2017, by Ari Martinez (b.1994). Intaglio print on BFK paper, 6” x 9”. The Emperor figure is based on the c.1878 Bradley & Rulofson portrait of Emperor Norton shown here. Artists’s website and Instagram. Source: Ari Martinez [Added 10.6.2022]

Emperor Norton, 2017, by Latvian artist Dio de Sun. Digital. The artwork was commissioned by Podcastnik as part of a branding program to promote its podcast The Secret Cabinet — which had done an episode on Emperor Norton in February 2016. Podcastnik merch using the artwork is here. Source: Travis J. Dow [Added 6.12.2024]

"The Emperor" (2017), by Ashley Naftule (b.1983). Chalk on chalkboard. © 2017 Ashley Naftule. Source: Ashley Naftule. [Added 7.28.2017]

Emperor Norton Royal Crest, 2017, by Lyall Wallerstedt (b.1988). Mixed media, illustration and collage using National Geographic magazine clippings, Part of a series of eight. © 2017 Lyall Wallerstedt [Added 7.25.2017]

Source: Lyall Wallerstedt 

Illustration (number 1 of 6) from Emperor Norton I series by John J. Griffiths (b.1970). Digital. © 2017 John J. Griffiths. Full series at Behance. [Added 10.31.2017]

Illustration (number 2 of 6) from Emperor Norton I series by John J. Griffiths (b.1970). Digital. © 2017 John J. Griffiths. Full series at Behance. [Added 10.31.2017]

Illustration (number 4 of 6) from Emperor Norton I series by John J. Griffiths (b.1970). Digital. © 2017 John J. Griffiths. Full series at Behance. [Added 10.31.2017]

Illustration (number 6 of 6) from Emperor Norton I series by John J. Griffiths (b.1970). Digital. © 2017 John J. Griffiths. Full series at Behance. [Added 10.31.2017]

Tattoo of Emperor Norton, 2017, by Bryn Taylor (b.1970). Done for Pete Bogdis at Sugarfoot Tattoo, San Mateo, Calif. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Pete Bodgis [Added 11.5.2021]

“Joshua Abraham Norton,” 2018, by Heebum Chun (b. 1974). Pen and ink on a receipt. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Billyonstage [Added 5.5.2023]

“Joshua Abraham Norton,” 2019, by Heebum Chun (b. 1974). Pen and ink on a receipt. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Billyonstage [Added 5.5.2023]

“Norton I” (2019), pen and ink, quick sketch by Jacob Chipman. © 2019 Jacob Chipman. Source: Jacob Chipman. Artist site: Dim Planet Gallery. [Added 1.22.2019]

Emperor Norton, mixed media (ink and digital), October 2019. By Josh Pincus (b.1961). Part of the artist’s Dead Celebrity Spotlight series at his blog, Josh Pincus Is Crying. Source: “DCS: emperor norton,” Josh Pincus Is Crying. © Josh Pincus Is Crying. [Added 10.26.2019]

“Norton and Death,” 2019, by Jon Hastings (b.1967). Ink and marker, 11” x 17”. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Jon Hastings

Norton’s Bridge, acrylic on birch panel, 30” x 30”, 2019. By Jeremy Fish (b. 1974). Part of Fish’s upcoming exhibition, The Fog Lover’s Club, opening 14 December 2019 at Hashimoto Contemporary. Exhibition details here. © 2019 Jeremy Fish. [Added 10.3.2019]

“(Almost) Continuous Line Drawing of Emperor Norton,” 2020, by Neal Von Flue (b.1973). Pencil on paper, 8”x10”. Inspired by the c.1875 Bradley & Rulofson portrait of Emperor Norton shown here. Artist’s website and Instagram. Source: Neal Von Flue

Emperor Norton, 2020, by Russ Petcoff (b. 1963). Watercolor. Detail from a grouping of three “birthday” sketches Petcoff did on 4 February 2020 [image] — part of larger daily series the colorblind artist launched on 14 April 2019. “I choose people from Wikipedia’s birthday listing for each day….I try to select people who were famous or notable at one time but now forgotten.” In 7x10 Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook. Complete series on Instagram and Flicker. Artist’s website. © 2020 Russ Petcoff [Added 2.7.2010]

“Joshua Norton, another crazy Hebe,” 2020, by Elliot Feldman (b.1946). Pen and ink on plain computer paper (Emperor Norton caricature), with photo image of 1870s Norton note. Part of the artist’s Instagram series of caricatures of famous people. Source: Elliot Feldman. [Added 10.5.2022]

“Norton I on His Imperial Throne” (February 2020), by Nicholas Borgert (b. 1989). Digital illustration. One of a four-part series commissioned by Off the Grid (web; Instagram; Facebook). For more by Nick Borgert, see BorgertDesign.com, Instagram and Twitter. © 2020 Nicholas Borgert [Added 3.23.2020]

Emperor Norton, 2020, by V. Salles (b. 2003). Pencil, 15cm x 20cm. Artist Instagram. [Added 9.28.2022]

“September 17, 1859.” by Gary Handman (b.1950). Digital cartoon with photograph of Market Street, San Francisco, early 1900s. Originally published to the artist’s Instagram on 17 September 2021 as part of his series of daily cartoons celebrating the birthdays of famous people, notable cultural and historical events and holidays. Source: Gary Handman [Added 10.4.2022]

“Emperor Norton,” 2021, from San Francisco Icon series, by Misstencil. Spraypaint on paper, 24” x 36”. Stencilled using this c.1875 photograph by Bradley & Rulofson studio. For other iterations of this work, see the Public Art gallery. Artist on Instagram and Facebook. [Added 9.27.2021]

“Self-Portrait as Norton I, Emperor of the United States,” 2021, by Gino Robair (b.1963). Linocut, 11” x 14.” Created for, and printed at, the San Francisco Center for the Book’s 18th Annual Roadworks Steamroller Printing Festival, 26 September 2021. Robair is the composer of the experimental opera, I, Norton. For more about Robair’s work, see his website. [Added 10.1.2021]

Emperor Norton, 2022, by Michael Witte (b. 1944). Ink and watercolor. Illustration for article by Ian A. Stewart, “In Emperor Norton, A Legacy Lives On,” in California Freemason (magazine of the Grand Lodge of California), Summer 2022. Artist website. [Added 8.2.2022]

Emperor Norton, 2022, by V. Salles (b. 2003). Pencil, Nanking ink (linework) and Sharpies (colors). Artist Instagram. [Added 9.28.2022]

“Subjects of Norton,” 2022, by David R. Byrne (b. 1980). Linocut, two-color reduction, oil-based inks on Strathmore paper, 9"x9". Edition of 7. Done for the album Suite: San Francisco, released digitally by Jazz Mafia in 2022. © 2022 Artist’s Instagram. Source: David R. Byrne [Added 10.4.2023]

Emperor Norton, 2022, by Neal Von Flue (b. 1973). Mixed media, 18”x24”. Inspired by the c.1878 Bradley & Rulofson portrait of Emperor Norton shown here. Artist’s website and Instagram. Source: Neal Von Flue [Added 10.22.2022]

Drawing of Emperor Norton, 2023, by Saeha Jang. Pen and ink. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Saeha Jang [Added 6.20.2023]

“Emperor Norton I,” 2022, by Jasmine. One of a series of “illustrations of 6 mysterious stories from around the world.” Artist’s Instagram. Source: Jasmine [Added 10.28.2024]

“Joshua Abraham Norton,” 2023, by Heebum Chun (b. 1974). Pen and ink. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Billyonstage [Added 5.5.2023]

Emperor Norton, 2023, by V. Salles (b. 2003). Pencil sketch with digital (MSPaint) overlay of linework and color. Artist Instagram. [Added 3.14.2023]

Emperor Norton, 2023, by Tom Fowler (b. 1974). Pencil and ink on paper, 11”x17”. Artist’s Tumblr and Instagram. Source: Tom Fowler [Added 6.25.2023]

Poster, July 2023, by Roy G. Biv (b. 1982) for show at San Francisco bar Kilowatt headlined by Fullerton, Calif.-based band The Adolescents. Drawn in ink, colored in Photoshop, 11”x17”. The colorways echo those of the band’s 1981 self-titled debut album. Artist’s website. [Added 9.8.2023]

“Norton I, Emperor of the United States,” 2023, by Marika Brousianou (b. 1989). Pen and ink on Bristol paper, with touch-ups in Photoshop, 9” x 12”. Artist’s website and Instagram. Source: Marika Brousianou [Added 11.8.2023]

“Study of Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico,” December 2023, by Rob W. Jones (b. 1975). Exhibited in show, Dusted Tales from Ragged Roads: New work by Rob W. Jones, The Herbert Cooper Gallery, Columbus, Ohio, 4 January – 31 March 2024. Artist’s Instagram. Source: Rob W. Jones [Added 2.6.2024]

"Norton," 2024, by Heyoka alias Andreas (b. 1973), German. Pencil, ink pens (including a brush pen), and watercolors, 148 x 210 mm. Inspired by this c.1874 photograph of Emperor Norton. Artist's website. Source: Heyoka [Added 7.22.2024]

Emperor Norton, 2024, by Alan Quiros (b. 1970). Pencil, 2” x 2”. Originally an illustration for an Instagram promotion of fall Open Studios at 1890 Bryant Street Studios, San Francisco, September 2024. Artist’s website and Instagram. Source: Alan Quiros [Added 11.2.2024]