After the death of his remarkable wife, Marian “Clover” Hooper Adams, in 1885, historian Henry Adams described himself as a “professional wanderer,” hurrying restlessly from one journey to another. John La Farge, taught Adams to paint in 1890 during a voyage to Polynesia. Adams soon gave up and discarded his first attempts, but returned to his easel during later voyages to Mexico, Cuba and through the West Indies. Although he remained unhappy with his futile efforts to capture the vivid colors of tropical landscapes and the majestic vistas of the American West, painting became part of his lifelong education.