Hendrik-Dirk Kruseman van Elten was born in Alkmaar, Holland in 1828. His earliest professional training in art was with Cornelius Lieste in Haarlem, Holland. Lieste was a successful landscape painter in the Dutch Romantic School of the nineteenth century. After extensive training with Lieste, van Elten toured Holland and northern Europe with stays in France, Germany and Belgium where he painted and toured museums in the major cities of the area.

Shipping records and census information record van Elten in the New York area of the United States by 1865. Records at the National Academy of Design list Van Elten as a regular contributor to exhibitions in America’s premier and most prestigious public space, the National Gallery of Design...