Charles Paul Gruppe (1860–1940) was a self-taught landscape and marine painter born in Picton, Canada. He should not be confused with his son, the well-known New England painter Emile Gruppe. After the death of his father, he moved with his family to Rochester, New York. At the age of twelve, he helped found the Rochester Art Club. Between 1897 and 1913, he lived in the Netherlands, painting with the Hague School. Gruppe settled in the fishing village of Katwijk aan Zee, where he spent over twenty years creating marine, harbor, and countryside scenes. His refined draftsmanship and subtle tonal palette earned him election to the prestigious Pulchre Studio in The Hague—a rare honor for an American—and his work was collected by members of the Dutch royal family.

After returning to the United States, Gruppe helped popularize Dutch art among American collectors while continuing to paint coastal subjects. He established a studio in New York, where he trained his son Emile and sent him to study with top teachers including Frederic Bridgman, Emil Carlson, and Charles Hawthorne. In 1925, father and son visited Cape Ann after seeing winter harbor scenes by Frederick Mulhaupt and soon established a studio in Rockport, where they spent summers painting Cape Ann harbor scenes. A respected member of the Salmagundi Club and recipient of numerous international awards, Charles Gruppe remained active until his death in Rockport in 1940.