Philip Little was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts, on September 6, 1857, to James Lovell (1810-1889) and Julia Augusta (Cook) Little (1824-1883). Little married Lucretia S. Jackson on January 10, 1883. They had one son, Philip Little, Jr. (1883-1976). The Littles moved to Salem by 1886, where Philip opened a studio with Frank W. Benson. The family often summered on MacMahan Island in Maine. A year after Lucretia passed, Philip married Caroline King on his 82nd birthday. Little died on March 31, 1942, in Salem.

Little was considered one of the first American Impressionists, a painter and printmaker, focusing largely on New England landscapes and seascapes. Little attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1875 to 1877, but had to withdraw due to illness. He later attended the Lowell School of Design and began his career at Forbes Lithograph Co. in Boston. In 1881 he began attending classes at the Museum of Fine Arts School. Frank W. Benson and Lucretia S. Jackson were classmates at the MFA School.

In 1887 Little joined the National Guard. He served until 1901, when he retired as a Major. He was very active in the Salem community, serving as a representative to the Common Council, on the Board of Aldermen, and on the School Board for fourteen years. Little also was a longtime member of the Essex Institute and served as the Fine Art curator.

Lucretia Shepard (Jackson) Little was born in 1859, in Connecticut, to Orin Fowler and Annie Jeannette (Staigg) Jackson. Her father "disappeared" and was presumed dead sometime after the Civil War. She, her mother and brother were living with her uncle, Richard M. Staigg, in Massachusetts, by 1870. She died in Salem, Massachusetts on September 10, 1938.

Philip Little, Jr. was born on November 17, 1883 in Boston, Massachusetts to Philip and Lucretia Shepard (Jackson) Little. He married Ella P. Sage on October 11, 1911. They had three children: Philip III (1913-2005); Charles Martin (1914-1995); and Thomas (1927-). Philip Jr. died on April 2, 1976, in Wayzata, Minnesota.

James Lovell Little was born April 4, 1810 in Plymouth, Massachusetts to Luther (1756-1842) and Hannah (Lovell) Little (1771-1826). He was a merchant. Little died at the family’s home on Little’s Point in Swampscott, Massachusetts, on June 19, 1889.

Annie Jeannette (Staigg) Jackson was born October 28, 1828 in England. Her brother was Richard M. Staigg, a noted miniaturist. She emigrated to the United States in 1832. She married Orin Fowler Jackson in July 1853. They had two children: Archibald (1856-) and Lucretia Shepard (1859-1938). Jackson frequently signed her letters to family members "Jeannie." She died on December 31, 1875 in Newton, Massachusetts.