Christian August Jorgensen (October 7, 1860 - June 24, 1935), more often known as Chris Jorgensen, was a Norwegian-born painter known for his landscapes and depictions of the American West. When Jorgensen's father died of tuberculosis, his mother moved the family to San Francisco, where her brother had already emigrated. Jorgensen was discovered as a youth by Virgil Williams, who became the first director of the San Francisco School of Design. Williams and Thomas Hill became Jorgensen's mentors and left an imprint on his style, informed by classical European styles and more recent impressionism. He was also heavily influenced by the epic, sweeping landscapes of the American West painted by Albert Bierstadt. Williams made Jorgensen an instructor at his new school, where Jorgensen met and married Angela Ghirardelli, heiress to the extremely successful chocolatier. Jorgensen was distinctive in that he painted in watercolor as opposed to the more common oil. He was especially known for his depictions of Yosemite, where he maintained a studio, and of the former Spanish missions of California.