William Henry Howe (1846–1929) was an American painter best known for his atmospheric pastoral scenes featuring cattle, sheep, and quiet rural landscapes. Born in Ravenna, Ohio, Howe first worked in business before pursuing art studies in Düsseldorf and later Paris, where he trained with noted animal painters Félix Vuillefroy and Otto de Thoren. Influenced by the French Barbizon School and his travels through Holland, Howe developed a style that blended Tonalism and Realism, earning him the nickname “Mr. Howe Cow” for his expressive cattle paintings.

Howe exhibited at major international venues including the Paris Salon and the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, and later helped found the influential art colony at Old Lyme, Connecticut, alongside Henry Ward Ranger. A member of the National Academy of Design and the Salmagundi Club, his work received numerous awards and is held today in collections including the National Gallery of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Carnegie Museum of Art.