This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  William Bennett was born in England. In 1799 the esteemed
watercolor artist Richard Westall sponsored Bennett's entry into the
Royal Academy of Art in London. Bennett showed an aptitude for
landscape views, paying particular attention to topographical detail
and the subtleties of light and atmosphere.
Enrollment in the
British forces in 1803 cut short Bennett's art training. For the
next three years he traveled on assignment to Egypt, Malta, and cities
along the Mediterranean. Bennett sketched throughout his tour,
producing expansive watercolors of foreign landscapes.
Upon his
return to England Bennett became a founding member of the Association
of Artists in Water-Colours and received many commissions to illustrate
books with aquatints. Although his reputation continued to grow,
financial difficulties eventually prompted a move to America sometime
around 1826.
Bennett settled in New York City and soon became
a member of the National Academy of Design (ANA 1827; NA 1828).
His watercolor and aquatint views of American cities received
significant attention, especially from the Daily Mirror, and Bennett remained one of the most respected landscape artists in the topographical tradition until his death.
Sources include:
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pbio?242390
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