| Timeline |
| 1844 |
Born 25 July |
| 1862 |
Attends the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
| 1862 |
Studies anatomy at Jefferson Medical College |
| 1866 |
Travels to Paris, attends the École des Beaux-arts and studies under Jean-Léon Gérôme, Léon Bonnat, and Augustin Alexandre Dumont |
| 1868 |
Spends 6 months in Spain, influenced by Velazquez and Ribera |
| 1869 |
Returns to Philadelphia, resumes studies at Jefferson Medical College |
| 1878 |
Begins teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
| 1879 |
Appointed professor of Painting and Drawing |
| 1884 |
Marries Susan Hannah Macdowell |
| 1886 |
Founded Philadelphia Art Students' League |
| 1886 |
Tenders resignation at the Academy over an issue with live models |
| 1916 |
Dies 25 June in Philadelphia |
