John Ottis Adams made one of his longest lasting friendships while studying in Munich in the 1880s, with Indiana based landscape artist Theodore Clement Steele. The two would go on to lead a movement, which aimed to capture the beauty of the Midwestern countryside. As colleagues, and members of the Society of Western Artists, Steele and Adams both played an integral role in establishing Indiana as a serious state for artists to practice during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While they were both famous for their landscapes, as this painting of the Hermitage shows, they were also excellent at portraiture, still-life, and interior painting.

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