Alice Kent Pearson Stoddard (1884-1976) was born in Watertown, Connecticut and divided her artistic career between Philadelphia and Monhegan Island. She attended the Philadelphia School of Design for Women and also received instruction at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art under a number of distinguished American artists, including William Merritt Chase. Following her training, she exhibited yearly at the shows of the Pennsylvania Academy of Art for nearly four decades, won prizes at numerous other shows throughout the country, and became an associate member of the National Academy of Design. In 1909, Stoddard came to Monhegan Island for a summer of painting, an experience that eventually led her to maintain a studio on the island.