Origin: American

Renown as one of America's finest landscape painters, George Inness gave of himself completely to create his art. His son George Jr., also an artist, described his father's labors as "frenzied", often watching as he worked a single canvas to the point of exhaustion. An affliction of epilepsy complicated his entire life. Born in Newburgh,…

Boston born artist George Loring Brown decided on a career as an artist while still in his teens. Initially he apprenticed to American wood engraver Abel Bowen before pursuing more formalized training in Europe. He studied in Paris with Eugene Isabey and was greatly influenced by the work of Lorrain, Ruysdael, and Constable. After returning…

The artist, a native New Englander, is remembered for his intimate views of the northeast coastline. Apparently having spent a great deal of time in Portland, Maine, he interpreted the well-known Portland Head Lighthouse on occasion. (One example of this familiar subject is in the permanent collection of the Peabody Essex Museum.

Gifford Beal was an American painter, watercolorist, printmaker and muralist who gained great acclaim both during and after his lifetime. Beal was the youngest of six children, in a family that created not one but three artists of renown including elder brother Reynolds Beal and niece Marjorie Acker. Gifford Beal knew he wanted to be…

A San Francisco native, Grant sailed around Cape Horn to England at the age of twelve, where, at his father’s wish, he attended the Fife Academy in Scotland. Later he spent three years of additional study at the Heatherley art schools in London. Returning to America in 1896, he became a well known illustrator for…

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, American artist and illustrator Granville Perkins honed his artistic skills studying in Philadelphia with James Hamilton. Mastering both oil and watercolor techniques, Perkins traveled the east coast extensively and created scenes in his native Baltimore as well as New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida and Cuba. A member of the American Watercolor…

A popular impressionist with substantial importance to the emergence of Plein-Air impressionism in California, Granville Redmond is recognized as a painter of exceptional talent. He succeeded in the face of the daunting disability of losing his hearing and speech at the age of two. His family moved to California from Philadelphia in 1874, and he…

Born of Danish parents in Indiana, Gustave Magnussen pursued his art studies in Europe before moving to California at the turn of the century. Living first in San Francisco, he migrated to Southern California where he established a studio on Balboa Island in Newport Harbor in 1930. An accomplished artist who painted mainly local views,…

Cimiotti was a master painter born in New York November 10, 1875. His early studies were with the New York Art Students League under artists such as Mowbray, Cox, J.A. Weir and R. Blum. In Paris he studied separately at the constant, Julien and Delacluse academies. Upon his return to America he opened a studio…

Born in Brooklyn, the son of popular landscape painter Carleton Wiggins, Guy Wiggins had a long and substantial career. Along with preliminary training in architecture at Brooklyn Polytechnic, he studied at the National Academy of Design with William Merritt Chase and the important American Impressionist Robert Henri. Prestige came early for the artist when the…

A close associate of American icon Jane Peterson, Harriette Bowdoin studied under Frank Brangwyn in London where the two women are believed to have first met. Prior to 1905, Bowdoin was instructed by both Henry Bailey Snell in Pennsylvania and Elliott Dangerfield in New York. In company with Peterson, Bowdoin traveled to Venice in 1908.…

The American painter Harry Aiken Vincent was born in Chicago and as an artist was largely self taught. Although he painted in the Chicago area early in his career, by the turn of the century he was painting and exhibiting in New England and gaining a strong reputation for his marine views. Vincent’s paintings were…

In the repertoire of Helen Smith, harbor scenes of Balboa Island and Newport Beach are at the pinnacle. She moved from her birth place of St. Charles, Illinois after marrying Californian Will Smith, and they settled in on Balboa Island around 1924. She had previously studied art in Boston and at the Milwaukee Art Institute.…

A marine artist of Massachusetts, Hendricks Hallett was born in Charlestown, Mass. and after art studies in Antwerp and Paris, he came home to set up shop in Boston. He would later paint out of Fenway Studios alongside his wife, artist Florence Hallett. Known to work outdoors, sketching many impressions of a single scene, and…

A well-traveled artist, painter Henry Bacon is best known for his watercolor depictions of life on the French coast of Normandie. He is also noted for his varied figure paintings composed at the locales of London, Italy, Ceylon, Greece and Egypt. Bacon did not start with a brush in hand. Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts in…

Henry Bayley Snell traveled the world extensively, but spent much of his life in the scenic Delaware River Valley in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was one of the earliest artists to settle there and soon became affiliated with the region's New Hope School of American Impressionism which was founded by the noted tonal painter, William…

An accomplished realist who painted with a precise and skillful use of existing light, he is believed to have been an entirely self-taught. Born in 1854 in Waterford, Connecticut, little is known about his past until he set up studio in 1877 in downtown New York City. He regularly exhibited with the National Academy of…

A Philadelphia artist with a specialization for figurative scenes, Henry T. Cariss began his career in the theaters, painting backdrops, as well as earning the reputation as a performer. As an artist, he joined the Philadelphia Sketch Club in 1878, where he is recorded that Cariss "in his early 30s, was a most popular member…

A celebrated American landscape artist, Jones was a teenager when he began his career, studying with the Maryland Institute and Horace W. Robbins in New York. By 1867 he exhibited with the National Academy of Design; he would gain membership and exhibit with the acclaimed organization for 60 years. His first scenes were primarily of…

Born in Utica, New York, Wiles was a pupil of his father, Lemuel M. Wiles. He also studied with William Merritt Chase and Arthur Beckwith in New York, and at Academie Julien with Lefebvre and Carolus-Duran in Paris. He later became an important illustrator for periodicals such as Scribners, Harpers and The Century. Like Chase,…

Like many artists in history, most of what is known about Isiah Whyte comes from his surviving paintings. Whyte was a maritime painter working out of Boston in the early 19th Century. Nearly all his paintings were ship's portraits of famous American Naval vessels including Revolutionary War Ship BONHOMME RICHARD and the War of 1812's…

Born in Paterson, New Jersey Smith took his early training at the Art Institute of Chicago and later at the Cincinnati Art Academy under Frank Duveneck. For a time he served as staff artist for the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER and in 1898 gained national acclaim for his front line sketches during the Spanish-American war. In 1906…

The twin brothers, John and James Bard were self-taught ship portraitists who created accurate paintings of the steamships and sailing craft which operated around New York, Long Island Sound and the Hudson River areas. Because the vessels depicted were drawn to exact scale after intensive personal observation and measurements, paintings by James Bard and his…

Born in Oswego, New York, the artist at fifteen moved to New York City, training under the hand of the influential marine artist and yacht designer, Archibald Cary Smith. After his formal training, Tyler fused his own very personal style into creating unified depictions of sea, sky and vessel, each put forth with equal expression.…

Considered one of the most important American artists of her day and beyond, Jane Peterson's art contains elements of the various schools she formally studied and discovered through individual exploration. The influence of Fauvism, impressionism, expressionism and the cubist movement all resonant within her works which defy tight classification. Born in Illinois, Peterson studied at…

The elegance of Jasper Francis Cropsey's paintings emanates from his depictions of sharp, naturalistic details, use of striking colors and their well-measured mix of light, atmosphere and shadow. As an artist he is nearly synonymous with Autumn in the American Northeast, and is recognized alongside Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, and John Kensett as one of…

Joe Selby was an important African-American maritime artist who painted directly from the docks of Miami from 1920 to 1959. Born in Mobile, Alabama, "Old Joe" Selby spent his early years as a deck hand on freighters. In 1905, at the age of twelve, his leg was injured by a breaking towline aboard ship and…

Born in San Francisco, Mohrmann became a seaman at 13 years of age. He sailed the world’s seas for 18 years, settling in Antwerp for a time where he specialized in ship portraiture. Preferring to give attention to the ships he depicted instead of his career, Mohrmann sailed the globe creating excellent quality ship’s portraits.…

John Severson, born December 12, 1933, is well known as the creator of Surfer Magazine. He grew up surfing off the beaches of Southern California. Born and raised in Pasadena and San Clemente, California, Severson was a creative type, an art major noted for having painted an abstract scene of the San Clemente Pier and…

A traditional American marine artist in ever sense, it is unusual for an artist to exhibit such a high level of quality, which Joseph B. Smith does, and have only two dozen or so known surviving works to his credit. The majority of works were performed in conjunction with his son, William S. Smith; born…

Hungarian born painter Joseph Kleitsch was known as "a master of gorgeous color". He traveled widely in Europe and Mexico where he painted portraits of prominent citizens during the Mexican revolution. In 1920 he arrived in Laguna Beach and was immediately captivated by the area where he established the Kleitsch Academy and maintained a studio…

Of the sixty known paintings by Joseph Lee, all are San Francisco subjects and more than three-quarters of them are ship portraits of remarkable quality. Lee’s portraits are of such accuracy, with every shroud, ratline and block exactly in place, that it is quite possible he worked directly from rigging plans. Old timers along the…

Born Joseph Dwight Strong, Jr. in Bridgeport, Connecticut to a minister's family, the artist is one of the earliest sources of extremely rare views of Hawaii and Pacific Island paradises encountered as Western Civilization spread its influence over the world. He moved with his family to Honolulu as a child, studied in California for an…

Although little is known about this artist who adeptly worked in both watercolors and oils, records show that he sailed to the far east in the 1860’s. (Traditionally, the majority of sea painters lacked any gallery representation, preferring instead to work directly from commissions by the vessel owners themselves). He later settled in Boston and…

A marine artist of exceptional talents, Julian O. Davidson is best known for his commissioned paintings of American naval engagements. He also authored and illustrated childrens' books, America's cup races for magazines and was a champion rower. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Nyack Rowing Association. His career shortened by a sudden illness,…

Lemuel Eldred was born in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, just across the channel from the historic whaling port of New Bedford. His body of work is made up mainly of landscapes and local harbor views which reflect a substantial familiarity with the ships and waterfronts of New England. His early education as a painter came from studies…

Spending the majority of his artistic career in Paris, American-born Knight studied with the prestigious French Academie Julian, under Lefebvre and Tony-Robert-Fleury. His father, famous genre and figure painter Daniel Ridgway Knight, instructed his son continually during his life, working alongside him in France. At 17, knight exhibited and won a medal in the Paris…

A native San Francisco artist who hit national recognition with a six-page illustrated spread in the Oct. 1943 edition of Life magazine, Macouillard possessed a driven spark which made him a success as a fine artist, commercial illustrator, boat builder, naval officer and husband. The Life magazine piece combined all of these, being his illustrated…

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Born in Philadelphia, American artist and illustrator Marguerite Pearson honed her skills studying with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School and privately from 1922-27 with Edward Tarbell. Prior to this she worked as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines. She excelled in producing a wide spectrum of work, from floral still-lifes and working portraits…

Considered to be one of the finest practitioners of landscape painting produced in the American West, Marion Kavanagh Wachtel along with her equally talented husband Elmer, traveled extensively throughout Southern California where the two developed an intimate knowledge of the area said to be unmatched by any other artist. Born into an artistic family in…

Born in San Mateo, California in 1945, Mark Myers showed early interest in sailing and maritime history, later adding on board experience with a variety of square-rigged and fore-and-aft-rigged sailing ships. He developed an early ability to express these interests through drawing and painting and trained as an historian, receiving his degree from Pomona College…

Born in Boston, Johnson later went to Lowell Institute becoming a member of the Boston Art Club also associating with Copley School. At eighteen he sailed on South America-bound SUNBEAM but his ship burned at sea, although he and eleven others were rescued. He also studied under William Edward Norton, the influential American artist who…

American marine artist Mary Blood Mellen is most well known as a collaborative artist and friend to American Luminist master Fitz Henry Lane. Her known works are mostly of the greater Gloucester, Massachusetts region, although she studied art early in Sterling, Mass. Married at 21 to Rev. Charles Mellen in 1840, Mellen would visit family…

Painter, lecturer and teacher Maurice Braun was born in Nagy Bittse, Hungary, but had emigrated to New York by age 4. At 20 he began studying art with E.M. Ward and George Maynard at the National Academy of Fine Art, and later with William Merit Chase in New York. In 1902-3 he traveled to Europe…

Millard Sheets holds a diverse and respected place in American art, and the variety of fine art works he left the world alongside of the places that carry his name today illustrate this completely. Primarily a prolific California watercolorist of renown, Sheets would began his studies at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, and…

Volumes have been written on the artistic career of N.C. Wyeth and his influence on the world of art. An early student of Howard Pyle, they are two of the most important illustration artists to ever perform. With his work for The Saturday Evening Post and illustrations of books for Scribner's, starting with his most…

For more than 60 years, Norman Rockwell’s works have enchanted the public with their clear-eyed, humorous and accurate picture of the heartland of American life. He worked in the tradition of the great artist commentators of the past, and like them, had the uncanny skill of projecting the tenor of his time. His covers for…

Listed in "Who was Who in American Art" as the "Baltimore port painter" Otto Muhlenfeld is known as one of the premier regional marine artists of the greater Chesapeake Bay area. Specializing in ship portraiture, many are of the harbor and waterway workhorses, the steam tugboat. While not considered as glamourous or fast as the…

An American artist of diverse accomplishments, Paul King gained professional acclaim early in the 20th century for his seascapes, portraits, landscapes and rural scenes. His versatility combined with technical mastery has become a recognized hallmark of his art. He presented common scenes with such artistic quality that he became quite popular with critics and the…

An important American impressionist, Reynolds Beal was encouraged early on by his younger brother, noted artist Gifford Beal, to study art abroad. Once Reynolds completed his education from Cornell University in naval architecture, and being from a rather wealthy family, he struck out for Europe, where he informally viewed as much art as he could,…

American artist Hayley Lever was born in Adelaide, New South Wales, Australia. After his artistic studies in Paris, London and New York, he settled permanently in Manhattan in 1911. By 1915 he was considered one of the most celebrated artists in New York City. Profoundly influenced by the works of Vincent Van Gogh, Lever's paintings…

An innovative leader in the first wave of modern American art, Robert Henri set upon his artistic path in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art from 1886 until 1900, where he studied and taught while making trips back and forth between Philadelphia and Paris. While in France, he immersed his studies in the palettes and…