Hugo Fisher was known for his skill in watercolor painting of landscapes. Born in Kladno, Czechoslovakia in 1854, he remained in his native land to study art with his father and Anton Mauve in Prague. Fisher came to the United States in 1874. He lived in New York City for a period, and there he married Addie Pond. The couple moved to Alameda, California in 1886, and Fisher set up a studio in nearby San Francisco. While commuting to his studio by ferryboat, he sketched scenes of the marshes and the countryside. The couple had two children. His son, Hugo Melville Fisher, followed in his father's footsteps, and became a skilled painter, recognized in California for his impressionist style.

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