Born in 1877 in Carson City, Nevada, to early Nevada pioneer Colonel Warren Wasson and Grace Treadway, Laura Wasson Maxwell began painting at a young age. She was initially self-taught before studying with watercolorist Sydney Yard in San Francisco and Carmel in 1906. She went on to study at the Bancroft School in New York City, the Boston School of Design, the Cainni Studio in Italy, and spent four years at the Académie Julian in Paris. Maxwell traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas, drawing inspiration for her artwork. She married U.S. Navy Captain William Lindsey Maxwell in 1908. He briefly served as mayor of Carmel, California, where the couple settled. A founding member of the Carmel Art Association, Maxwell actively contributed to the local art scene and exhibited widely, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and St. Louis. She is known for oil and watercolor paintings of landscapes, florals, and marine scenes. Maxwell remained a resident of Carmel and passed away in1967 at age 90.