William Parsons Winchester Dana

Yet he remained very much in the romantic vein of older painters from an earlier period, essentially conservative, but observant of minute detail.

After marrying in 1855, the Danas made their first foray to Paris, France, where he occasionally went to the French salon, but decided to return when the U.S. Civil War erupted.

[2] For the next twelve years he lived and worked in Paris, visiting the many impressionist painters in Normandy and painting many of the same scenes, notably the Rock at Etretat, much favored by Monet.

Dana continued to paint in London, notably the famous view across the Thames to the Palace of Westminster, and Waterloo Bridge, as well as several of the pea-soup fog shrouding the river.

[4] His first pictures were marine views, but subsequently he treated genre subjects with success, and was happy in painting children, horses, and dogs.

[1] Together, they had six children, including:[9] Bob Dana wrote a biographical pamphlet about his father's life and friendships with John Singer Sargent and Rex Whistler, two of the most significant American painters of the Post-impressionist period.