AMERICAN

James Milton Sessions, born on September 20, 1882 in Rome, NY, received his initial exposure to art from his mother, who was an accomplished artist. He trained at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1903-1906 and initially supported himself as a wheelsman aboard Great Lakes ships from 1906-1914, later serving in the Illinois Naval Reserve during World War I. He also worked as a commercial illustrator. He was a master watercolorist of marine, sporting, and military World War II scenes. Although very prolific in the style of John Whorf and Ogden Pleissner, he unfortunately destroyed much of his own work. He died on November 14, 1962 in Chicago at the age of 80. Selected Museum Exhibitions and Collections: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Art, Milwaukee, The Museum of Fine Art, Cleveland.