Thomas Sedgwick Steele

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, on June 11, 1845, Thomas Sedgwick Steele first worked in the jewelry business before turning more fully toward art. Accounts from the period say he showed artistic talent early, later studied in Paris with P. Marcius-Simons, and became known for paintings of game, fruit, flowers, and still life.

He also wrote travel and outdoors books that drew on his explorations in northern Maine. Among the works reliably connected with him are Canoe and Camera, Paddle and Portage, and later A Voyage to Viking Land. These books helped build his reputation as a lively observer of landscape and travel.

Steele was active in art circles including the National Academy of Design and the Boston Art Club, and he maintained a studio in Hartford before moving to Boston near the end of his life. He died in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on September 10, 1903.