Delbert Dana Coombs was born in Lisbon Falls, Maine, on July 26, 1850.
Primarily self-taught, Coombs did take painting lessons from Scott Leighton, an animal painter, and he studied landscapes with Harrison Bird Brown. Coombs painted actively for over fifty years. His subjects included portraits, landscapes, and cattle. Coombs painted in the White Mountains on many occasions where he appears to have liked the Jackson area most. Coombs White Mountain subjects date from 1890 to 1925.
He had a studio in Boston for several winters, but his major work was pursued in Maine. He gave lessons in painting in Lisbon, Maine, for twenty-five years.
Coombs's work has been preserved in Maine at the Capitol, the Poland Spring Art Gallery, at Bates College, and at Yale University.
A typical example of his work is Mount Washington from Jackson, New Hampshire.
