William Baxter Closson was born in Thetford, Vermont and lived at 77 Newtonville Avenue from 1915 until his death. He began his training as a wood engraver with Newton resident Samuel S. Kilburn and continued his art studies at the Lowell Institute and Evening Art School in Boston. He became known as a highly skilled wood engraver, but as photomechanical processes began to replace wood engraving in the 1890s, he turned to works in oil and pastel. The One Who Found the Apple, included in the exhibition, was shown at the Newton Club Art Show in 1896 and later at the Newton Library. He also painted landscapes and portraits, including one of Mary Baker Eddy.
