Albert Beck Wenzell was born in Detroit, Michigan to a wealthy family that encouraged his interest in art. His parents arrange for him to study in European academies, such as in Munich and the Academie Julien in Paris. There he learned from Gustave Boulanger and Jules Lefebvre.
After returning to the United States Wenzell first tried to gain work as a portrait painter in the Detroit area but met with little success. He than decided to move to New York City and become an illustrator. In this capacity, Wenzell captured the manners and fashions of a prosperous era in the United States, when society was dominated by robber barons and their often equally ambitious wives and families. Wenzell found success as a regular contributor to Life magazine, then a humorous publication. The beautifully-rendered women in his elaborately staged settings gave rise to the expression "Wenzell Girls."
Source:
The Society of Illustrators: https://www.societyillustrators.org/albert-beck-wenzell
