B. June 19 1815
Amsterdam,
Holland.
D. 8 March 1872
Chicago,
Illinois.
Immigrated to America in 1836, where he became an Army painter. After his military service, married Émilie Gauthier, and moved to Montreal to live with her.
He spent some time in Europe, and when he returned, started painting Canadian landscapes as well as many traditional québécois 'habitants' (peasants). He lived off the sales of his paintings and reproductions, but at the time his style of rural landscapes were not very popular so he was not very prosperous.
It's only in the 1860s when he toured Europe to sell his paintings that his popularity peaked.
At the end of his live, he settled in the United States.