Frederic E. Church, c. 1855-1865. Library of Congress, LC-BH82- 5209 B
Frederic Edwin Church
Date: American painter, 1826–1900
Biography: Frederic Edwin Church was the son of wealthy family in Hartford, Connecticut, allowing him to pursue his interest in art as a young man. At age 18, Church became the first student of Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School, a group known for meticulously painted scenes of the eastern United States. Depicting the landscape around Catskill, New York, Church achieved success quickly, becoming, at age 23, the youngest artist elected to the National Academy of Design. In the 1850s and 1860s Church traveled to exotic locales, where he made detailed sketches of the scenery that he used to make panoramic paintings in his New York studio.