Franklin Milton Armington is best known for his fine etchings and paintings of landscapes and figures. He was born in Fordwich, Ontario in 1876, and began his art studies in 1892 under J.W.L. Forster in Toronto. He continued his studies in Paris, attending the Académie Julian under Benjamin Constant, and then the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, under Lucien Simon.

Armington returned to Canada with his wife Caroline, also a well-known artist, in 1901, and he worked at the Winnipeg Tribune and taught art at Havergal College from 1901 to 1905. He returned to Paris the following year – the Armingtons both adored the milieu and the artistic styles of Paris and it shows in Armington’s Impressionist-inspired painting style. He was also a master of the medium of etching, and he captured the picturesque architecture of historic towns and cities, inspired by earlier etchers such as James McNeill Whistler. Because of the impending threat of war in Europe, in 1939 Armington and his wife decided to return to North America, and they settled in New York.

Armington was commercially successful, and completed many commissioned pieces. His etchings and paintings were shown in major French, American and Canadian exhibitions. Today his work can be found in public and private collections across Canada as well as in Brussels, Germany, England, New York, Washington, DC and Paris.