Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)

In the late 1870s and 1880s, Albert Bierstadt's wife Rosalie spent her winters in the Bahamas due to ill health. The artist often accompanied her to Nassau, participating in the elite social scene and completing sketches and paintings of the beautiful blue waters of this tropical environment for his portfolio. Several of these works were exhibited in Nassau in December 1885, as described by the local newspaper: "To the lover of art, the exquisite sketches of Mr. Bierstadt, so kindly lent by Mrs. Bierstadt whom we welcome back to our shore, are an education in themselves." (Nassau Guardian, December 9, 1885, as quoted in H.A. Cooper, Winslow Homer Watercolors, Washington, D.C., 1986, p. 148n4)