Born in Williamsburg, Indiana, William Merritt Chase first studied under a local artist, then went to New York in 1869. He studied for two years at the National Academy of Design and, after a brief stay in St. Louis, attended the Royal Academy in Munich. He returned to New York and in 1874 established his studio on Tenth Street and subsequently taught at the Art Students League from 1878 to 1896; from 1891 to 1902, Chase operated a plein air summer school at Shinnecock Hills in addition to conducting Summer classes in Europe.

He was elected president of the Society of American Artists in 1885 and in 1890 he was elected academician in the National Academy of Design. His reputation is overwhelmingly based on his paintings, but Chase was also a skilled printmaker. He died in New York.