A Life Between Continents William De Leftwich Dodge began his life in Liberty, Virginia. His father worked as an insurance agent in New York, but the family's path led away from the United States early on. His mother, Mary, moved her three children through Munich and Berlin before they eventually settled in Paris. It was in this French atmosphere that the young artist found his footing. He spent years at the Colarossi Academy, working through the rigorous entrance exams for the École des Beaux-Arts. It took him three years and six attempts to gain admission to the school in 1885. The early ye…