Albert Jacques Franck was born in Middleburg, Holland in 1899. Franck had been interested in painting as a child, but had been discouraged from furthering this pursuit by his father. When he settled in Toronto in 1926, he renewed this interest and began to paint in earnest. His primary subjects of old houses in Toronto were complimented by still lifes and florals, and he also executed a series of works depicting Canada from the air. He was an influential artist and was friends with many of the Painters Eleven group, particularly Harold Town, who wrote a book about Franck entitled Albert Franck: Keeper of the Lanes - His Life, Times and Work, published in 1974. Franck died in Toronto in 1973 at the age of 74.