 He painted in a variety of genres, but was known mostly for landscapes and urban scenes; especially of Venice.Curtis was born in Boston on August 28, 1854.His father was the prominent lawyer and banker, Daniel Sargent Curtis and his mother was Ariana Randolph Wormeley (1834-1922), a sister of Elizabeth Wormeley Latimer, both descendants of John Randolph (1727–1784).