Arter was from Hanoverton, Ohio, the son of a farmer. Despite his father's determination to have his son follow in his footsteps, the lad made his way to Cincinnati where he made a living as a flower painter and by teaching others. Then in Paris he studied under Gustave Boulanger and Jules-Joseph Lefebvre, who taught hundreds of young, aspiring Americans at the Académie Julian. In the Paris Salon of 1888 Arter exhibited Interior: Picardie. Love Letter and Brazier followed in 1890. Another work, entitled Leaving Mass at Scheveningen, was on display at the Salon of 1891.

Arter went on to set up studios in Venice, London and New York. He spent twelve summers in Italy and b...