Lewis Thomas Ives, portrait artist in Detroit from 1852-94, was born August 3, 1833, at or near Rochester, New York to Eardly and Ann (Wood) Ives.

Lewis Ives was an attorney who painted in his spare time and eventually left the practive of law to devote all his time to art. He studied in Paris and Rome under Willian Page. He married Margaret Leggett, 1860, in Detroit, and they had two sons, Percy Ives, who became an artist, and Dr. Augustus W. Ives,

Lewis Ives painted many portraits of dignitaries from Detroit, Michigan and Massachusetts. He was commissioned to do a portrait of Grover Cleveland, but died before its completion The painting was later finished by his son, Percy Ives.