About William Frederick Foster

  • Biography

    Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, William Foster became a noted figure painter and illustrator, living the last twenty-one years of his career in Los Angeles, California.

    At age 12, he moved with his family to Colorado, but in 1898, he returned to Cincinnati and enrolled at the Art Academy where he studied with Joseph Henry Sharp and Frank Duveneck. His early ambition was to be a violinist, but he was re-focused on fine art when he saw a painting by Albert Ceck Wenzell.

    In 1902, he went to New York City where he painted scenery for theaters, auditoriums, and large department stores. He also studied at the New York School with Robert Henri and William Merritt Chase, and from 1903 to 1931, he worked as an illustrator and with a brief te...

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