J. Kensett F.

John Frederick Kensett (1816–1872) was an American landscape painter and engraver associated with the Hudson River School and the later Luminist movement. Born in Cheshire, Connecticut, he began his career as an engraver before studying art in Europe, where exposure to 17th-century Dutch and 19th-century English landscape traditions shaped his style.

Upon returning to the United States, Kensett became known for his serene and meticulously rendered views of the American Northeast, particularly the Hudson River Valley, New England coast, and Lake George. His luminous, atmospheric compositions emphasized clarity, light, and quiet reflection rather than dramatic grandeur. A member of the National Academy of Design and a founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kensett remains a central figure in 19th-century American landscape painting.