Paul Wayland Bartlett [also known as Paul W. Bartlett] was born in New Haven, Connecticut on 24 January 1865 and was the son of Truman H. Bartlett (1835–1923), a sculptor, art critic, and teacher. He commenced his art training in France. In 1880, at the age of 15, he began studying under Pierre-Jules Cavalier (1814–94) at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He also worked as an assistant to the sculptor Emmanuel Fremiet (1924-1910) at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris and to the sculptor Joseph-Antoine Gardet (1861–1891). Barlett's early work focused on ethnographic and animal subjects. He later became better known for his monumental figurative and symbolic work. Although he considered himself an American artist, he spent much of his career in France.