William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) was one of the leading artists of America at the end of the 19th century as well as a distinguished teacher.

Born in Franklin, Ind., on Nov. 1, 1849, William Merritt Chase received his first art instruction in Indianapolis under B. F. Hays. He then attended the National Academy of Design in New York City, after which he studied in St. Louis, where his family had moved. Through friends impressed by his ability, he went abroad in 1872 and spent 5 years at the academy in Munich. American painters Frank Duveneck and John H. Twachtman were fellow students. Chase took a trip to Spain, where he copied the work of Velázquez, then spent several months in Venice with Duveneck.

In 1878 the Art Students League in New York City invited Chase to become a painting instructor. Knowledge of his European success had preceded him, and his class...