1000 Museums

American painter Francis Augustus Silva was born in New York City on October 4th, 1835. Early in his career, Silva became a sign-painters apprentice after trying many different occupations. While he was quickly advancing as an apprentice, he was also embellishing stagecoaches—painting landscapes and historical scenes on the wood panels. In 1868, Silva and his wife moved to New York, where he began his painting career, although he had no formal training. That same year, his first paintings—primarily of marine subject matter—were shown at the National Academy of Design. Throughout the 1870s, Silva frequented the northeast coast, visiting Cape Ann, Massachusetts; Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island; and New York on the Hudson River in search of inspiring tranquil locations.