Frank W. Benson, River Scene, 1921

Frank W. Benson (1862–1951) was an American artist from Salem, Massachusetts known for his Realistic portraits, American Impressionist paintings, watercolors, and etchings. He began his career painting portraits of distinguished families and murals for the Library of Congress. Some of his best-known paintings (Eleanor, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Summer, Rhode Island School of Design Museum) depict his daughters outdoors at Benson's summer home, Wooster Farm, on the island of North Haven, Maine. He also produced numerous oil, wash, and watercolor paintings and etchings of wildfowl and landscapes.

For a period of time, Frank Weston Benson was known as “America’s Most Medalled Painter,” for his academic accomplishments and widely received acclaim. Though his works included landscapes and portraiture, Benson believed his true subject was light, once saying, “I follow the light, where it comes from, where it goes.” His style was noted for its bright colors and broken brushwork. Benson came to exhibit with “the Ten”, a group of American Impressionists that included Childe Hassam, William Merrit Chase, and J. Alden Weir; he also became a leading figure in what became known as the Boston School of Painting. As a child, Benson dreamed of being an ornithological illustrator, and as an avid hunter and fisherman, frequently included sporting animals in his works. In addition to oil paintings, Benson also made etchings, watercolors, and murals.