Her works use broad swaths of vibrant colors to combine an interest in light and in the depiction of spontaneous moments.

[5] At the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, she had the opportunity to view works by avant-garde Impressionist American artists such as Childe Hassam and Edmund Tarbell in the Art Gallery.

In 1901 she graduated and went on to study oil and watercolor painting at the Art Students League in New York City with Frank DuMond.

[3][7] In 1907, she extended her artistic career by taking a grand tour in Europe,[7] visiting England, Holland, France and Italy,[8] providing an opportunity to learn from the masters.

Peterson gained expert knowledge for painting techniques and composition from Like many young artists of her time, Jane took several grand tours of the European continents, starting in 1907, and studied under several famous European artists, including Frank Brangwyn in Venice and London, Joaquin Sorolla in Madrid, and Jacques Blanche and Andre L' Hote in Paris.

When she first arrived in Paris in 1907 Picasso was already paving the way with innovative and experimental techniques, displaying Fauvist tendencies and going beyond them.

[9] In 1910, Peterson travelled alone to Egypt and Algiers in North Africa – an extremely bold act for a woman in the early 20th century.

[6] : 11  In Boston, Massachusetts, she had a position as a drawing supervisor of public school teachers, and also taught at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore.

In 1912, Peterson started teaching watercolor at the Art Students League and became the Drawing Supervisor of the Brooklyn Public Schools.

[3][10] In 1907, she studied with the Welsh artist Frank Brangwyn in Venice and London, Joaquin Sorolla in Madrid, and painter Jacques Blanche and sculptor Andre L'Hote in Paris.

Peterson's canvases become more daring with color, as layers of loose brushstrokes combine to represent the shimmer of summer's light in southern Europe.

Gradually, they each developed a unique style, according to Charlotte Streiffer Rubenstein.3 Peterson's paintings of people, events, and scenery reflect her travels around the globe, rather than the more conventional domestic scenes.

[9] Peterson shared the stories she uncovered while traveling, and explored in her paintings the differences between the lives of others and her own life.

Marché aux Fleurs, oil on canvas, painted while in Paris in 1908, is held in the Terra Foundation Collection[14].