Frank Weston Benson

Frank Weston Benson, frequently referred to as Frank W. Benson, was an American artist from Salem, Massachusetts known for his Realistic portraits, American Impressionist paintings, watercolors and etchings. He began his career painting portraits of distinguished families and murals for the Library of Congress. Some of his best known paintings depict his daughters outdoors at Bensons summer home, Wooster Farm, on the island of North Haven, Maine. He also produced numerous oil, wash and watercolor paintings and etchings of wildfowl and landscapes.

Frank Weston Benson was born to George Wiggin Benson, a successful cotton broker, and Elisabeth Poole,13 from families who founded Salem, Massachusetts. Benson obtained his appreciation of the sea from his grandfather, Captain Samuel Benson. When he was 12, he was given a sailboat13 in which he explored the waterways and marshes and raced against his siblings. To encourage educational activity, Bensons parents gave their children a weekly allowance to foster independent study and hobbies, such as Salems Hamilton Hall dance classes, Lyceum lectures or equipment for photography. The children kept active rollerskating, tennis, iceskating, boxing, fishing and hunting.1617

Source: Wikipedia