William Posey Silva (1859-1948) was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1859. This early 20th century American painter graduated from Chatham Academy in 1875, before briefly studying engineering at the University of Virginia. Prior to his career as an artist, he managed a china and hardware business, which he sold in 1906. He is known for his atmospheric landscape paintings, in which he employed a lyrical impressionist style. He lived in Carmel, California, for 36 years, and his work is associated with the art colony there, as well as the Charleston Renaissance.