Ralph Albert Blakelock was born in New York City in 1847

      This painter is best known for atmospheric, nocturnal, and moonlit landscapes featuring silhouetted, lace-like trees and Native American encampments inspired by his travels. His technique involved layering paint and then scoring, scraping, or rubbing the surface away. He struggled with severe financial hardship while raising nine children. From 1891 onward, he suffered mental breakdowns and spent decades institutionalized in psychiatric facilities in New York and New Jersey.