George Waters was a talented, versatile and prolific artist who lived in Elmira from 1861 until his death in 1912. For 34 of those years he was the head of the art department at Elmira College. Waters is known for his portraits, including a painting of the first president of Elmira College, Augustus C. Cowles. He is also known for his landscape paintings of New England, Pennsylvania, the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes Region.* In 2005 the College celebrated its sesquicentennial by collaborating with the Arnot Art Museum to install exhibitions at both the museum and college that featured the work of George Waters.
*Information from "George W. Waters: 'Friendly Pictures'" by Eva Taylor, The Chemung Historical Journal, December, 1973.