William Page's family moved to New York City in 1820. While attending public school some of his early sketches were brought to the attention of William de Peyster, lawyer and secretary of the American Academy of Fine Arts. De Peyster hired him as an assistant in his law firm in 1825, but when it became apparent the Page's aptitude for the fine arts far exceeded his aptitude for law, he was placed in the studio of James Herring. He soon became acquainted with Samuel F. B. Morse (q.v.), president of the newly established National Academy of Design, who encouraged him to pursue his studies at the Academy's antique class. In 1827 he submitted a life study to the Academy's annual competition and received first place for its excellence. Page was deeply religious by nature and in 1829 he began flirting with the idea of joining the Presbytarian ministry. Studies at Andover and Amherst, however, quickly discouraged him from such a pursuit and he soon returned to New York.
In 1833 he married Lavinia Twibill and the birth of a daughter a year later led him to turn away from historical painting to the more ready and lucrative market of portraiture. Page' first marriage ended in divorced, but in 1843 he was remarried, this time to Sara A. Dougherty, and moved to Boston. There he not only found new commissions for portraits, but also the lasting friendship of the poet James Russell Lowell. Lowell, through his close affiliation with the New England transcendentalists, provided Page with new ideas which he would later incorporate into his artistic theories.
In 1847 Page returned to New York and in 1850 his long-standing ambition to travel to Europe was realized. Settling in Florence he soon became friends with the sculptor Hiram Powers (q.v.) who introduced him to the writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg and, consequently, new theories concerning creativity in art. At the same time Page began a meticulous study of works by the old masters, in particular Titian whose use of glazes and scumbling he had long tried to emulate. In 1852 Sara Page's growing fondness for officers of the local militia resulted in a move to Rome. There Page continued his study of the old masters and became closely associated with a new circle of artists which included Thomas Crawford (q.v.), William Wetmore Story, and the Brownings.
In 1857 his second marriage ended in divorce, but in the same year he married Mrs. Sophie Stevens Hitchcock. After an unsuccessful attempt to establish his name in London and Paris, he returned to America in 1860. Upon his return to New York he opened a studio in the Studio Building on Tenth Street, but fund that his sojourn abroad and the Civil War lent little impetus to his career; his historical and allegorical paintings met with little praise and commissions for portraits slowly began to wane. From 1866 to 1869 Page served as an instructor at the school of the National Academy and in 1871 he was elected its president. Illness forced him to resign from the post in 1873 and in 1877 a stroke left him virtually incapacitated for his remaining life. In the Academy's annual meeting for 1886 he was eulogized:
He had a mind of great power, an eye of keenest observation, a love of color, a sensitive appreciation of all the subtle variations of character, of qualities and textures. His courage was equal to any conflict--his enthusiasm knew no bounds--his imagination rose to all heights--his patience and persistence never wearied. He was always seeking to penetrate into the most hidden mysteries of nature. Absolute truth was his aim, and his profound absorption in this search made itself felt by all who came under his influence.
