Enoch Lloyd Branson (1854-1925) was an American artist best known for his portraits of Southern politicians and depictions of early East Tennessee history. One of the most influential figures in Knoxville's early art circles, Branson received training at the National Academy of Design in the 1870s and subsequently toured the great art centers of Europe. After returning to Knoxville, he operated a portrait shop with photographer Frank McCrary. He was a mentor to fellow Knoxville artist Catherine Wiley, and is credited with discovering twentieth-century portraitist Beauford Delaney.

Branson was born in what is now Union County, Tennessee (then part of Knox County) to English parents. Around the time of the Civil War, a Knoxville physic...