Hunt的父亲家族的 Hunt家族的佛蒙特州 ，是佛蒙特州的创始人和最大的地主之一；他的 母亲是一个家庭 康涅狄格的财富和地位。亨特出席 哈佛学院 但在他三年了。 被剥夺机会油漆和专横的父亲画，Jane Leavitt Hunt决定，她会给孩子机会学习艺术的最佳院校，即使这意味着去欧洲参加他们。。

从霍乱他的议员父亲英年早逝后，Hunt的母亲简带着他和他的兄弟到瑞士、法国南部和罗马，在Hunt研究 时装 在巴黎和后来的影响下 让-弗朗索瓦小米 ，跟他学了巴比松画派的原则。Hunt家族在欧洲呆了十几年。那时候的William Morris Hunt和他的兄弟在 李察Morris Hunt 共享一个公寓在1雅各伯街，靠近 美术学院 威廉在画下了， 汤玛斯·库图尔 ”。从训练和灵感的兄弟是在法国未来几年的经验会大踏步每在他的作品中，写道：”历史学家 戴维·麦卡洛 “”。William Hunt先生是我们这里最有前途的艺术家，”报道 托马斯阿普尔顿 他的父亲。”

后来，离开巴黎，他画了艺术学校 新港，罗得岛 他在那里有亲戚，，布拉特尔伯勒，佛蒙特州， 法亚尔岛 在 亚速尔群岛 他在那里的家庭联系，最后在 波斯顿 ，在他作画，教艺术成为一种流行的肖像画家。

小米的陪伴，有对Hunt的性格和风格有深远的影响，他的作品中发展壮大，在美和严肃性。他最大的拥护者 巴比松画派 在美国，他比任何其他美国画家代转上升到巴黎。对他的影响， s.g.w.本杰明 写在Hunt死后的评价：

“已故的William M. Hunt，我们必须把…一般的脉冲对外国风格现在对设计艺术在这个国家。…Hunt先生的权力…在指导了一大批年轻的艺术学生参观巴黎的感觉，最终也在慕尼黑，在每一种趋势，多年来一直向更大胆的方法在艺术工艺。结果被介绍给一个真实的感知我们的艺术风格在现阶段的重要性，并强调说，他有话要说会更有效，如果他知道如何给它足够的话语。”
在他回来的1855年他画出了他最漂亮的油画，都让人想起他在法国的生活对Millet的影响。这是 迟来的孩子 ， 在喷泉的女孩 ， hurdy - gurdy男孩 ，和其他人–但公众呼吁的肖像，并成为时尚坐Hunt；他最好的这类绘画是其中的 威廉·M·埃瓦茨 ， 查尔斯夫人弗兰西斯亚当斯 ，的 珊瑚礁。弗里曼的詹姆斯克拉克 ， 参议员  查尔斯·桑诺 威廉H.加德纳 首席大法官Shaw 和 Horace Gray法官 “。

可悲的是，许多Hunt的油画和素描，连同五大小米和其他艺术珍品收集到他在欧洲，被摧毁的 波士顿大火1872 。亨特拥有许多的画布上，小米，包括Millet的 播种者 小米有点不情愿的接受了，并支付60美元从Hunt。

在他后来的作品中占主导地位的美国景观。在1878的夏天，他去世的前一年，Hunt画了一系列尼亚加拉大瀑布一览无余。他后来的作品还包括“游泳者：两次画”和“州府的装配室的寓言” 奥尔巴尼，纽约 由于失去了，现在的石板上他们画的解体。（一些学者追溯Hunt的深化，导致他自杀的抑郁症对他绝望过奥尔巴尼壁画中的损失）。 他的书， 谈艺术 （伦敦，1878），尤其是收到。

Hunt也没把自己局限于油画。他是多产的，作为一个平版和雕塑家以及。从1850到1877的佛蒙特州人是波士顿首屈一指的肖像和风景画家；有一大堆 婆罗门 吵着要他画的。Hunt被广泛认为是有影响的风格 温斯洛荷马 ， 哈桑姆 和 John Joseph Enneking 。Hunt的签名，笔法活泼，部分来自当代欧洲绘画的研究，标志着一个新的阶段，是由石油素描荷马和别人进行。其他的朋友和同事包括艺术家 弗兰克希尔史密斯 “。
“最伟大的波士顿画家，艺术史家G. W. Sheldon在他写的 美国画家 ，“一个真正伟大的美国画家，William Morris Hunt先生，出生在布拉特尔伯勒，佛蒙特州。”在朋友和学生的小米，“Hunt是一个完全原创的艺术家，和他的每一张照片是一个自发的、独立的产品。”  一位艺术历史修正主义，一些学者正在重新审查其他新英格兰早期艺术家Hunt的强大的拉力，许多知名的。

1855狩猎是在巴黎结婚的Louise Dumaresq Perkins，女儿 托马斯handasyd帕金斯 在波士顿的商人，小老板，philanthropist和艺术。William Morris Hunt是新英格兰艺术和社会的一个重要人物，帮助把注意力向行家在欧洲艺术世界的发展。除了收集自己，Hunt鼓励其他波士顿收藏家的欧洲艺术家如小米买作品， 克劳德莫奈 和其他人。

在法国的艺术家一个早期的展览后 波士顿图书馆 包括Millet和卢梭的作品为例，在哈佛艺术教授写了一个谴责波士顿的一份报纸。愤怒，画家Hunt还击的反应 波士顿广告日报 ”。这不是我们的错，我们继承了无知的艺术，”Hunt写道，“但是我们没有必要做广告。”

Hunt's father's family, the Hunt family of Vermont, is one of the founders of Vermont and one of the largest landowners; his mother is a family of Connecticut's wealth and status. Hunter attended Harvard College in three years. Deprived of the chance to paint and bossy father painting, Jane Leavitt Hunt decided that she would give children the opportunity to learn the art of the best colleges, even if it means going to Europe to join them..
His father died from cholera members, Hunt's mother Jane took him and his brothers to the south of Switzerland, France and Rome, Hunt in the study of fashion in Paris and later under the influence of Jean Francois Pepo Mi, from whom he learned the Barbizon principle. The Hunt family has been in Europe for more than a decade. At that time the William Morris Hunt and his brothers shared an apartment in Richard Morris Hunt at 1 st Jacob street, near the Academy of Fine Arts in the painting of the next, the, in the case of the". From the training and Inspiration of the brothers in France in the next few years will experience great strides each in his works, "wrote historian David McCullough"". Mr. William Hunt is the most promising artist here, "said Thomas, Appleton's father."
Later, he left Paris, painting art school in Xingang, Rhode Island where he had relatives, Blatter Burrough, Vermont, Faial island in Azores where his family ties, finally in Boston, he taught in painting, art has become a popular portrait painter.
Millet company, has a profound impact on the character and style of Hunt, the development of his works, in the United States and seriousness. His biggest supporter of the Barbizon school in the United States, he more than any other American painters transferred to the rise of Paris. On his influence, s.g.w. Benjamin wrote after the death of Hunt evaluation:
"The late William Hunt, we have to put the M.... The general impulse against foreign style is now on the art of design in this country.... Mr Hunt's power... In the guidance of a large number of young art students to visit the feeling of Paris, and ultimately also in Munich, in every trend over the years has been to a more bold approach in the arts and crafts. The results are presented to give a real sense of the importance of our artistic style at this stage, and to emphasize that he has something to say that will be more effective if he knows how to give it enough words."
In 1855, when he came back, he painted his most beautiful paintings, reminiscent of the impact of his life in France on Millet. It is too late to children, the fountain girl, Hurdy gurdy boy, and others - but the public calls for portraits, and become fashionable to sit Hunt; his best of this kind of painting is one of William M Evarts, Mrs. Charles Francis Adams, a coral reef. Freeman of, Senator Charles Sanno H. chief justice Shaw and Horace Gray judge".
Sadly, many of Hunt's oil paintings and sketches, along with five big millet and other art treasures collected by him in Europe, were destroyed by the Boston fire in the 1872. Hunter owns a lot of canvas, millet, including Millet's sower millet a little reluctant to accept, and pay $60 from Hunt.
The dominant American landscape in his later works. In the summer of 1878, a year before his death, Hunt painted a series of sweeping Niagara Falls. His later works include "swimmers: two paintings" and "fable" of the Albany state assembly chamber of New York, due to lost, now they were painted stone disintegration. (some scholars trace the deepening of Hunt, leading to his suicide depression to his despair in the Albany frescoes in the loss). His book on Art (London, 1878), especially received.
Hunt did not confine himself to oil painting. He is prolific, as a lithographer and sculptor and. From 1850 to 1877 in Vermont is Boston's premier portrait and landscape painter; there are a lot of Brahmins clamoring for his paintings. Hunt is widely considered to be influenced by the style of Winslow Homer, and John Joseph Enneking. Hunt signature, lively brushwork, study from contemporary European painting, marking a new stage, is carried out by the oil sketch of Homer and others. Other friends and colleagues include artist Frank Hill Smith".
"Boston's greatest painter, art historian G. W. Sheldon in the United States painter he wrote," a truly great American painter William Morris, Mr. Hunt, was born in Blatter, Vermont." In friends and students of millet, "Hunt is a completely original artist, and every photo of him is a spontaneous, independent product." An art historical revisionism, some scholars are to review the other early new England artist Hunt powerful force, many well-known.The 1855 hunt was married in Paris by Louise Dumaresq Perkins, daughter of Thomas handasyd, a merchant in Boston, little boss, philanthropist, and the art of. William Morris Hunt is an important figure in new England arts and society, helping to focus attention on the development of experts in the European art world. In addition to collecting himself, Hunt encouraged other European artists such as Boston collectors to buy works such as millet, Claude Monet and others.
An early exhibition of French artists after the Boston library including Millet and Rousseau's works as an example, the Harvard art professor wrote a newspaper denouncing Boston. Angry, painter Hunt responded to the Boston daily news". It's not our fault that we have inherited the art of ignorance, "Hunt wrote." but we don't have to advertise."