Clement Rollins Grant was a painter-etcher who was born in 1849 in Freeport, Maine. He studied in England in 1867, before setting up studios at 112 West Street in Boston (1882-) and Broadway & 33 rd Street and 80 Washington Square, New York City (1883-) and he rapidly became recognized as a competent realist who specialized in human genre scenes and barbizonesque landscapes. He exhibited at the Boston Art Club in 1877-1905, the Paris Salon in 1878 and the National Academy of Design, NYC from 1882-1894. He was a member of the American Art Galleries (NYC), 1885; the New York Etching Club, 1889; Parrish Art Museum, 1884 in a Painters-Etchers exhibition (represented in their permanent collection). For many years Grant made reproductive etchings of famous painters' works and sold them to various publications.

Grant summered in Bar Harbor and he spent many seasons in Scituate, MA and painted along the New England coastline painting en pleinaire. Known as a figure and genre painter, he nevertheless could execute sumptuous still life subjects and dramatic landscapes.

Grant died in Boston in 1893 an accomplished, revered painter.