Connecticut-born Lionel Walden studied painting in Paris in the third quarter of the 19th century with the academician Carolus Duran (France, 1837–1917) and exhibited regularly at the Paris Salons. In 1911, Walden traveled to Hawai‘i and thereafter spent extended periods in the islands. Known as the preeminent painter of the Hawaiian seascape, Walden's paintings are characterized by a luminous quality of light revealing the influence of his teacher, as well as earlier romantic painting in America. Hawaiian Fisherman was painted in Walden’s Paris studio and shown at the 1924 Salon, where it received a medal.