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Robert Harris was born in 1849 in Wales and was taken to Charlottetown, PEI by his parents in 1856. Harris graduated from the Prince of Wales College in 1863 and began to work as a land surveyor and painted in his spare time. He travelled to England in 1867 where he visited art galleries and determined to become a professional painter. In 1871 he was commissioned by the Executive Council of PEI to paint the speakers in the House of Assembly. He studied art in Boston from 1873 to 1874 under Rimmer and Dewing and returned to study in Europe 1876 to 1878. When he returned to Canada he worked thereafter as a professional painter. He worked in Toronto and Montreal and various other Canadian cities throughout his career and continued to travel in Europe.