Born in Manchester, England on April 1, 1842, William Lees Judson immigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1852. He was educated in the public schools of Brooklyn and Ontario, Canada. He enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Civil War and afterwards spent several years as a farmer in Ontario.

He studied art in New York City with John B. Irving (1872-73) followed by three years in Paris at Académie Julian under Jules Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger. Returning from Europe, Judson worked in New York City, Toronto and London, Canada until 1890 when he moved to Chicago where he was active as a portraitist.

After the Chicago World's Fair, he moved to southern California where he taught at the Los Angeles Schoo

Source: Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Artists of the American West (Samuels); Southern California Artists (Nancy Moure); California Impressionism (Wm. Gerdts & Will South); Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers (Fielding, Mantle); Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs (Bénézit, E); American Art Annual 1929; Out West, May 1913; California Design 1910; Los Angeles Times, 10-27-1928 (obituary).

Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here....