Hudson River School Landscape by William Hart.

William Hart (1823-1894), noted landscape painter, water-colorist, master etcher, and grandfather of E. B. White, was born in Paisley, Scotland, and emigrated to Albany, NY in 1831.  Following a lackluster start as a portraitist in the Albany area and Michigan, Hart accepted the help of a local sponsor to return to Europe where he honed his skills in landscape painting. He returned to America, settling in New York City in 1853, where he opened a studio in the prestigious Tenth Street Studio Building along with major Hudson River School painters such as Martin Johnson Heade and Albert Bierstadt and other preeminent American artists such as Winslow Homer and William Merritt Chase. In 1865, he was elected President of the Brooklyn Academy of Design. As a respected member of the Hudson River School, Hart was known for his bucolic, serene pictures emphasizing the light and atmosphere of romantic Hudson Valley landscapes. Our example is typical of his mature work, rendered in smooth, brillia