Ralph Eugene Cahoon, Jr. was born in 1910 in Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A direct descendant of the first Dutch settlers, his family had emigrated in the 1660s from Scotland directly to Cape Cod. The 'mermaid' became Ralph Cahoon's hallmark in the 1960s. His imagination and creativity using this motif knew no bounds, using mermaids to play golf, fish, knit, pose for photographs, or hide in trees. The New England coastline or lighthouses were favorite backdrops, as were hot air balloons.
