Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Frederic Church became a leading figure in the Hudson River School* of painters, and in the 1850s and 60s was one of America's most famous painters. The paintings for which he became known were landscapes conveying a serene sense of light and space, showing nature in its pure state without the presence of human beings.

His career rose very fast, taking off when he was in his early twenties, but by the time he was forty, public taste had changed, and this circumstance combined with his own ill health caused his reputation to fall considerably.

He came from a wealthy family and received his first art instruction from Benjamin Coe. His primary master was Thomas Cole with whom ...