Born in Manchester, England, he became one of California's leading painters of the early 20th century.

He was brought to New York at age ten and attended schools in Brooklyn and Ontario, Canada, and then studied with John R. Judson and John Irving and in Paris with Gustave Boulanger and Jules Lefebvre.

In 1861, he enlisted in the Illinois Militia and from 1865 to 1867, was a farmer in Ontario and sketched local Indians. He painted portraits and landscapes in New York City, Canada, and Chicago and then settled in Los Angeles, California.

From 1896 to 1901, he was professor of drawing and painting at the University of Southern California and was also in the same position from 1901 until 1920. He traveled widely for his landscape subjects including to surrounding states.