Robert Swain Gifford (1840-1905) NY Etching on Silk. In 1864 Gifford's career began when he opened a studio in Boston, where his early works were mainly marine paintings. In 1865, he moved to New York City and spent the winter painting in Samuel Coleman's studio in the Dodsworth Building. He left the city for the summer and returned to New Bedford and the area islands to make sketches for work to be done the next winter in his studio. In 1875 the Giffords returned to New York and joined the mainstream of American artists. Gifford won a metal of honor at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and in 1876 and was one of the founders of the American Art Association. He became one of the first artists in the country to employ etching as a technique and he helped establish the New York Etching Club. He also became a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers of London. Overall Size: 11 x 13 in. Sight Size: 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. Location S/T