Wilson Henry Irvine was born in Illinois in 1869 and educated at The Art Institute of Chicago where he took courses for eight years. He first came to Old Lyme in 1905 and became an active member of the Lyme Art Association in 1914, eventually settling there in 1918. Though Old Lyme remains his primary association, Irvine is celebrated today as a leading American impressionist painter. His work is reminiscent of early impressionism, with the artist’s use of lively, visible brush strokes and his emphasis on the contrasts of color and texture to create a sense of depth in his paintings. His impressionistic style and choice of subjects are often Irvine’s contemporary, Childe Hassam.

In 1983, Mongerson Galleries of Chicago held the largest exhibition of Wilson Irvine’s work since his death in 1936. The event was a reclaiming of sorts since had initially established himself as an artist in Chicago before his more famous association with the Old Lyme Art Colony. He was a member of the Chicago Society of Artists, the Cliff Dwellers, the Salmagundi Club, the National Arts Club, and the Lyme Art Association.