Martin Johnson Heade.

In 1883, the romantic artist, Martin Johnson Heade visited Florida. Impressed with St. Augustine, Heade settled there and worked in a studio in the Ponce De Leon Hotel made available to the artist by Henry Flagler, railroad magnate and developer of Florida's east coast. The combination of St. Augustine's Old World atmosphere, tropical vegetation, and serene marshes created the ideal working environment for Heade. Heade's contribution to American nineteenth-century painting is embodied by his study of …

…River had the greatest effect on me. The mellow environment the beautifully multi-colored sky and the subtle movements of the swamp lands mesmerized my eyes and relaxed my entire being. The subtle movements of the swamp lands and the tranquility of the environment soothed my soul and refreshed my visual sensations. Martin Johnson Heade is one of the most original, creative, and passionate painters of the nineteenth-century, and will forever be respected for his work.