John William Casilear (1811-1893)
An important painter of the Hudson River School, Casilear (1811 to 1893) painted extensively in upstate New York and Vermont. He studied under Asher B. Durand (1796 to 1886) in 1831 and in 1840 he traveled to Europe for three years with Durand and John F. Kensett (1816 to 1872).
Casilear was originally trained as a banknote engraver, but by 1854 switched to painting full-time as his celebrity increased. From the 1830′s on, Casilear was a consistent exhibitor at the National Academy of Design, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Brooklyn Art Association.