William Merritt Chase (1849-1916),
Portrait of a Gentleman, c.1880, oil on canvas, 22 x 18 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Mr. Lynn G. Foster. American artist William Merritt Chase was born on this day in 1849. Chase was a very influential painter and teacher, establishing the Chase School, which later became the Parsons New School for Design. Chase worked in a semi-Impressionistic style.