1859-1936. Graves was already Boston's preeminent flower painter by the time he left for his second stay in France during the late 1880s. He was largely self-taught, and though his works were enormously popular, he sought to expand his repertoire by studying formally at the Académie Julian with instructors who emphasized painting of the human figure. In Paris, Graves developed lasting friendships with other American expatriates including Childe Hassam and Edmund Tarbell, with whom he had previously taught at Boston's Cowles School of Art. Though they would eventually settle in different locales, all three became impressionist painters of reknown after returning to America.

Graves combined his skill at painting flowers with a growing interest in documenting human activity, and became known for his outdoor genre scenes. These colorful works reveal an impressionist interest in light and air, and often incorporate serene figures amongst a profusion of flowers. Graves also painted still lifes and seascapes as well as a series focusing on the doorways of colonial houses, inspired by the historic homes in and around Kennebunkport, Maine (where he eventually settled). The artist visited Bermuda in 1900, and summered in Holland and England in 1903 and 1904, all of which provided access to the vibrant and agreeable subject matter he sought for his finished works.