Martin Johnson Heade was an American painter who was associated with the Hudson River School. Unlike most other members of the group, Heade regularly chose the unassuming motifs of inlets or marshlands for his paintings, as in his Approaching Thunder Storm (1859). He also produced a number of botanical still lifes throughout his career, including those of orchids, magnolia blossoms, and various rose species. Born on August 11, 1819 in Lumberville, PA, he received his earliest training from the naïve painter Edward Hicks. Around 1838, Heade traveled to Europe, settling in Rome for two years. After a second trip to Europe a decade later, the artist shifted his attention from portraiture to landscape painting. Later, while living in New York...