Charles Walter Stetson (1858 – 1911) was an American painter associated with the late‑19th‑century American Impressionist and Tonalist movements. Born in New York City, Stetson studied at the National Academy of Design and later worked in both New York and the artist colonies of Woodstock and the Catskills. His oeuvre consists primarily of modestly sized oil landscapes and marine scenes, characterized by a restrained palette, subtle tonal variations, and an emphasis on atmospheric effects.
Stetson exhibited regularly at the National Academy of Design, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Art Institute of Chicago. He was a member of several artist groups, including the Society of American Artists, and contributed to the development of regional art communities in upstate New York. In addition to his painting career, Stetson taught drawing and painting classes, influencing younger artists of the period.
His work is held in the collections of institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the New York Public Library. Stetson died in 1911; the precise circumstances of his death are not widely documented in major reference works.
