Identity:

Alexander Harrison was an artist.

Life:

Harrison studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He joined the United States Coastal Survey in 1872 as a topographical draftsman, a profession he continued when he moved to San Francisco around 1876. There he studied under Virgil Williams and Raymond Yelland at the School of Design. Harrison was based in Paris by 1879, where he continued his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts and in the studio of Jean-Léon Gérôme. He continued to exhibit in San Francisco meanwhile. Harrison established an international reputation for his marine nocturnes. He exhibited at the Salon in 1881 and 1885.

Bibliography:

Hughes, Edan Milton, Thomas A. Harrison, at http://www.edanhughes.com/biography.cfm?ArtistID=826 (accessed 2003.08.19)