After graduating from Harvard, Allston returned to Charleston in order to persuade his family to allow him to pursue painting as a career. Once he secured their consent, he sold his portion of the family land in order to finance his studies abroad. Though Allston was an artistic genius, he was not a skillful businessman, and he did not acquire the monetary worth of his property, nor did he use interest from his money for living expenses; instead, he drew freely upon the entire sum until it was gone. Allston's eventual financial problems had a significant impact on his painting.
America during Allston's lifetime was unfriendly soil for aspiring artists. The nation, newly born, was more concerned with expansion and with financial and material growth than with cultural development. There was little interest in the arts among the public and even less possibility for financial backing. Furthermore, the perceived lack of a past in America, especially in the arts, forced most aspiring artists to travel to Europe to train and become immersed in the great art of the "Old World." Following in the footsteps of many American artists before him, Allston traveled to Europe to study art. In May 1801 he sailed to England with the painter Malbone.
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