Francis William Edmonds, an early American genre painter, was born in Hudson, New York in 1806. Edmonds, thanks to an uncle who arranged a clerkship for him, began his professional life as a banker in New York City, and also took evening classes at the National Academy of Design. In 1827, showing enough skill to pass an admissions test by submitting artwork, he was admitted to the Academy's exclusive Antique Class. However, shortly after that, from 1828 to 1832, he was diverted from his art pursuits by a banking job, which meant a move to Hudson, New York.

Then, moving back to New York City, he "began a self-retraining program", and by the late 1830 was active at the National Academy where he was elected an Associate in 1837, a...