Alexander Helwig Wyant (1836-1892) was one of the outstanding American landscape painters of the late 19th century. His fascination with luminous atmospheric effects led to the creation of a subtle and poetic style.

Alexander Wyant was born on Jan. 11, 1836, in Port Washington, Ohio. The family soon moved to Defiance, where Wyant briefly attended the local grammar school and was later apprenticed to a harness maker. His childhood aptitude for drawing was not encouraged, but after a chance encounter in 1857 with some paintings by the landscapist George Inness, Wyant decided to seek the older artist's guidance. Essentially self-taught, Wyant was able to obtain some encouragement from Inness and small financial assistance from Nicholas Longworth, the Cincinnati patron of innumerable American artists of the period. By 1864 Wyant was listed among the contributors to the National Academy of Design exhibitions.

In 1865 Wyant visited Europe and studied briefly with Hans Gude at...