Benjamin Foster (1852-1926)
Born in 1852 in North Anson, Maine, Benjamin “Ben” Foster worked at a number of odd jobs before coming to painting in 1882. He studied at the Art Students League in New York City in 1882 under the direction of A. H. Thayer and with Luc Olivier Merson and Aime Morot in Paris from 1886 to 1887. Foster’s landscapes depicting scenes around his Carnwall, Connecticut home were particularly popular due to their meditative qualities, which led many French critics to compare him to Cazin. Foster also worked as a critic, writing for publications such as the Nation and the Saturday Evening Post. He died in 1926 in New York City.