Grove karl gilbert biography

Photograph

Dates

Grove Karl Gilbert 1843 (Rochester, New York, USA) - 1918 (Jackson, Michigan)

Biography

Karl Gilbert was born in Rochester, New York. His father was something of a family maverick, a self-taught portrait painter who barely eked out a living; thus Karl’s family was too poor to afford much in the way of entertainment outside the home, which they called the “Nutshell.” Karl seems to have had no problem entertaining himself—in addition to puzzle-solving, he liked to read, including popular magazines, and was particularly fond of boating; with a friend, he built several small boats, which they took on the Genesee River near Rochester.

Grove Karl Gilbert - Linda Hall Library

A quiet, intelligent child, Karl was very curious, and early on, he developed excellent pow-ers of observation. His superb physical intuition is evident in this recollection of childhood boating experiences:

"When I was a boy I noticed that by rocking a skiff I gave it a forward motion. That led to the trial of other Grove Karl Gilbert – Wikipedia BUPAG