William James Stillman (1828-1901) was an American painter, journalist, and photographer. In 1852 Lajos Kossuth sent him on a fool’s errand to Hungary to dig up crown jewels. While he was awaiting a projected rising in Milan, Stillman studied art under Yvon in Paris, and then, as the rising did not take place, he returned to the United States and devoted himself to landscape painting. He was appointed United States consul in Rome in 1861. In 1865, a dispute with his government led to his resignation, but immediately afterwards he was appointed to Crete. He was an editor of Scribner’s Magazine for a short time and then went to London. In 1877-1883 he served as the correspondent of The Times at Athens and in 1886-1898 at Rome. His works include: On the Track of Ulysses (1888) and The Autobiography of a Journalist (1901).