Deft with portrait media, Gegoux painted in crayon, pastel, oil, and occasionally water colors.  Three examples of Gegoux sculpture are documented here for the first time; along with references to teaching and his ability with the violin.  His earliest work was in photography, but little beyond his family photo albums remain as evidence.  Once described as "fearless" Gegoux would seemingly try anything once.  His diverse efforts range from restoration of a 72 year old painting and include having painted features on a carved Schwarzwald deer head.

Gegoux was known for posthumous portraits.  Often painting from photographs and descriptions of the dead, he would occasionally view the corpse. Disliking this type of work, Gegoux charged more than his normal rates.  Gegoux often encouraged patrons to have portraits done from life, rather than wait.

By the age of 32, Gegoux claims to have executed more than 1,300 portraits saying in an 1883 interview, "Yes I have worked hard at this business.  I have at it nearly seven years, and during that time I have painted over 1,300 portraits.  I am now beginning on my fourteenth hundred."

Gegoux sustained his portrait painting with the advent of his portrait clubs.  Late in the nineteenth century, he was doing 25 to 50 portraits per club, at a cost of $12.50 per portrait.  While competing against the various low cost and "free" portrait offers from New York copy houses, Gegoux and his competitors seemingly quenched the demand for free hand portraits in Northern New York.  Photographers were also active at the same time, cutting into the portrait business.

Always seeking fresh markets for his portraiture, Gegoux traveled and worked throughout Jefferson and the surrounding counties.  He established a studio in Schenectady for several years.  Also, his mail order portrait business included customers from Brooklyn to Minnesota.  While not as prolific as his portraits, many are the examples of Gegoux's landscape and marine works, as well his floral and fruit still life efforts.

This document was produced because a great body of knowledge about Gegoux's early years in New York has only recently been discovered in digitized copies of old newspapers.  New York news Articles about the artist Gegoux, totaling more than 350 in number, are complied here for future generations.   Closing out the New York years, in 1909 Gegoux departed New York for Oregon and California.

This work is not intended to be definitive.  As more information becomes available additions and corrections will be possible and perhaps necessary.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks and gratitude to the following organizations, whose support made this project possible:  
· The Northern New York Library Network for their Northern New York Historical Newspapers
· The Old Fulton Post Cards and Thomas Tryniski, Fulton, New York
· The Watertown Daily Times, Watertown, New York

Attached please find the Gegoux Auto-Biography at Appendix A.