Norman MacLeish was born on August 29, 1890, in Glencoe Illinois, to wealthy parents and became a painter and graphic artist. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and with Pierre Vignal in Paris. MacLeish was a member of the Chicago Society of Artists and exhibited at several venues including the Art Institute of Chicago, the World’s Fair of New York in 1939, the Corcoran Gallery biennial in 1941 and the Golden Gate Exposition of San Francisco in 1939.

He was a supervisor for the Works Progress Administration in Chicago. At some point during his career, MacLeish moved to Florida and became involved with the Saint Augustine artist colony. He helped found the St. Augustine Arts Center, which is no longer in existence. MacLeish’s works can be found in the permanent collections of the Detroit Institute of Art and the Lightner Museum in Saint Augustine, Florida. MacLeish died in August of 1975 in Naples, Florida.