Jasper Francis Cropsey was a first generation landscape artist of the Hudson River School. Born on Staten Island in 1823, he suffered from periods of poor health and taught himself to draw while convalescing at his family’s farm in Rossville. His meticulous eye for detail was well suited for landscapes and his work soon earned him membership in the National Academy of Design, becoming its youngest member at 21.
He and wife Maria lived in Europe for 7 years. The English so appreciated Cropsey’s use of vibrant colors, he was referred to as “America’s Painter of Autumn”. He purchased a home & studio he called “Ever Rest” at Hastings-on-Hudson, New York in 1885 and remained there until his death in 1900.
An important early landscape painting by Cropsey, “Cortelyou Farm, Greenridge” can be found at Historic Richmondtown (Cropsey’s mother was a Cortelyou).