William Edward Norton (1843-1916) American. "A couple looking out to sea-sailing vessel offshore." Oil painting, signed. Provenance: Private Collection: San Francisco. Born in Boston, William Norton became a noted marine painter, stirred by his youth when he sailed on family-owned ships. He studied at the Lowell Institute in Boston, and with George Inness, and then established a studio in Boston. In the early 1870s, he went to Paris and became a student with Chevreuse and A. Vollon, and then he settled in London where he exhibited throughout the last quarter of the 19th century. His reputation there was based on his scenes of the Thames River, and ocean and coastal views. In 1901, he returned to the United States and settled in New York City. He also painted at Monhegan Island, Maine, where a treacherous ledge on the southern side of the island is named "Norton's Ledge" for him. Overall Size: 9 x 12 in. Sight Size: 5 3/4 x 8 3/4 in. #1344