This article traces the early career of T. W. Dewing (1851-1938), an American painter known for his portraits of idealized womanhood. By 1885, Dewing had developed the style and subject matter with which he is now identified: elegant, fine-boned women in sparsely furnished interiors with a few objects suggestive of their station in life or wandering aimlessly in freely painted landscapes. Standard biographical information is provided. Formal training was uncommon in Boston, where Dewing grew up. His first artistic efforts apparently were lithographs. An 1875 charcoal drawing of Walt Whitman demonstrates his self-taught precision. He later attended the Academie Julian in Paris, returning to Boston in 1878. He received dismal reviews by art critics for the next few years.