Frank H. Shapleigh was born in Boston and studied painting at the Lowell Institute of Drawing.  In 1867-1868, he sailed to Europe where he studied in the studio of Emile Lambinet (1815-1877). 

Shapleigh painted throughout New England, in St. Augustine, Florida, California, and in Europe.  From 1877 to 1893 he was artist-in-residence at the Crawford House in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.   He wintered at the Ponce de Leon Hotel, St. Augustine, in 1886-1887, and he became the artist-in-residence at the hotel from 1889 until 1892.  After a trip to Europe in 1896, he built a summer home and art studio in Jackson, New Hampshire, which he called "Maple Knoll."

Today Shapleigh is best known for his well-executed White Mountain landscapes which include all of the major tourist attractions and personal, intimate landscapes of New Hampshire.  Shapleigh painted Mount Washington and the other well-known mountains from dozens of different locations.  Shapleigh often inscribed the location of his painting on the back of his canvas, providing an invaluable record of the subjects of his works.