Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1849. Although he briefly studied sculpture, he essentially taught himself how to paint. His personal interest in hunting was a significant aspect of his artistic persona, and his studio was full of related paraphernalia. The Wild Swan, produced in a sportsman’s setting, suggests both artistic ambition and the artist’s own love of the hunt. Pope’s work helped popularize this type of still-life painting in late 19th-century America.