His parents died when he was nine years old and thereafter, he was raised by his older brother, Frederick Fraser.
He attended the classical academy of Bishop Robert Smith in Charleston along with Thomas Sully.
[2] At various points in his career, he was associated with Washington Allston and John Stevens Cogdell.
In 1806, he visited Newport, Rhode Island where he met up with John Trumbull and Gilbert Stuart.
His talent was very diversified, and in 1857, at an exhibition of his works at Charleston, there were shown 313 miniatures and 139 landscapes and other pieces by him.