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Gari Melchers was born Julius Garibaldi Melchers in Detroit in 1860 to German immigrant parents. His father was a sought-after sculptor who had trained in Paris and created carved figures for City Hall in Detroit.

Melchers showed his own artistic talent at a young age and his parents sent him abroad to study in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1877. He spent four years studying drawing and painting before relocating to Paris where he continued his studies at the Academie Julian in Paris.

After years after traveling around Europe, the artist returned to the U.S. in 1914. He split his time between New York and Fredericksburg, VA. Often described as “down-to-earth,” Melchers was beloved by his peers and neighbors. Throughout the remainder of his life he exhibited his work around the world and received countless accolades. He died in 1932.