Fitz Hugh Lane, born Nathaniel Rogers Lane was born December 19, 1804, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a coastal town on Cape Ann known for its fisherman and salt island at low tide. The focus of the vast majority of his paintings was maritime-themed. His father was a sailmaker which led to him painting many sailboats on the seas throughout his life. During the majority of his career, he would spend time between Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York where he would showcase his work for others to see.

Hugh’s route of education is more of an untraditional style. He completed an apprenticeship in Boston, Massachusetts. His apprenticeship was at Pendelton’s Lithography which is a printing company that printed illustrations that could also be printed again and again. After his career in the art industry, Fitz Hugh Lane went back to his hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts. He died on August 14, 1865, at the age of 60. His works can be found in museums all over from The New York Metropolitan Museum in New York City, New York to Art to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, in Fort Worth, Texas.