Benjamin Champney, along with John Kensett, is credited with establishing the White Mountain School of American Art. Born in 1817 at New Ipswich, New Hampshire, Champney spent several years abroad and in Boston before returning to his home state in the early 1850s to paint the mountain landscape. His paintings of the White Mountains emphasize the rural beauty of the region with panoramic views and carefully rendered details. In North Conway, New Hampshire he taught many classes applying Hudson River School painting techniques to the New Hampshire landscape. Although he was firmly entrenched in American landscape painting, he became an early proponent in the United States for the French Barbizon and Impressionist modes. He was a founder of the Boston Art Club and exhibited widely in Boston and New York.