Early Life, Family and Training Frederick Styles Agate was born on 29 January 1803 in the Sparta neighborhood of Ossining, New York. He was the son of Thomas Agate and Hannah Agate, whose origins were British. Artistry ran through the family, as Frederick was the brother of another painter, Alfred Thomas Agate. The pull of the city arrived when he was fifteen. He moved to New York City to begin his formal training, studying painting under John Rubens Smith. By 1825, his path led him to the National Academy of Fine Arts in New York City. There, he studied under Samuel F. B. Morse. These early…