[1] Sylvester's father did not encourage his son's artistic aspirations, and Sylverster as a boy sold newspapers to buy art supplies.

[1] From 1891 to 1892 he was the acting director of the Art Department of the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College at Tulane University, New Orleans.

In June 1892, Frederick O. Sylvester moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and took the position of art director at the Central High School.

[1] In 1902 Sylvester went to work part-time for Principia, a young private school located at Page and Belt Avenues, St. Louis.

Elsah is a historic river town in Illinois and Sylvester owned a summer home, Oak Ledge, there which he bought in 1902.

Frequent guest at Elsah were Kathryn E. Cherry, who succeeded Sylvester as Principia art director, and Takuma Kajiwara.

[1] He died in St. Louis on March 2, 1915, and, according to his wishes, a boat set out from Elsah upriver to the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, where his wife and Kajiwara sprinkled his ashes on the water.

[1][3] Today Frederick O. Sylvester's paintings hang in a number of institutions and private homes in the St. Louis' area.