Robert Salmon (British/American, 1775-c.1845) was a pioneering marine painter born in Whitehaven, Cumberland, England. The son of a jeweler, he developed an intimate knowledge of sailing ships, which informed his highly detailed and precise depictions of vessels and harbors. Salmon worked in Liverpool and Greenock, Scotland, before traveling to London, Southampton, and other English port towns. In 1829, he sailed to Boston, where he lived in a small hut overlooking the harbor and became a sought-after marine painter, completing numerous ship portraits for prominent clients. Known for his eccentric and solitary personality, Salmon produced works characterized by formal precision, disciplined composition, and luminous atmospheres.

Salmon is credited as the “Father of Luminism” in America, influencing artists such as Fitz Hugh Lane, William Bradford, and A.T. Bricher. During his Boston period (1829–1840), he created hundreds of paintings capturing the bustling harbor and maritime life, with a total oeuvre approaching one thousand works, though some early and late pieces remain undocumented. Declining eyesight led him to return to England around 1840, where he likely died circa 1845. His paintings are held in major collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the U.S. Naval Academy; Yale Center for British Art; National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; and the Shelburne Museum, Vermont.