Frank Hoffman was born in 1888 in Chicago but grew up in New Orleans. Here was surrounded by horse racing and his love for animal was reflected in his work as an adult. He moved Glacier National Park to live amongst the “Indians and Cowboys” before traveling to Taos, New Mexico. He lived on a ranch which he called “Hobby Horse Rancho” where he kept cattle, ponies, horses, steers, dogs, eagles, and a bear as live models for his paintings. He was part of the art colony here and learned to use color more expressively.

His dynamic brushwork and rich colors were warmly received across the country and he was hired by General Motors, General Electric, and the Great Northern Railway. During this time he also created illustrations for magazines of western subjects. He was then exclusively hired by Brown & Bigelow Publishing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota to create over 150 paintings.