American artist William Merritt Chase (1848-1916) established Parsons School of Design in 1896 as the Chase School of Art. Just two years later, although Chase still taught at the school, he was no longer at its helm, and the institution's name was changed to the New York School of Art. Chase left the school in 1907 due to a rivalry with fellow instructor, Robert Henri, a famed member of the Ashcan school of painting. While Chase advocated a technically meticulous, refined style that suited scenes of domestic harmony, serene landscapes, stately portraits, and opulent interiors, Henri's practice was looser and more spontaneous, meant to capture a more unvarnished and vigorous vision of urban America. Students flocked to Henri's classes, prompting Chase, who thought of Henri's work as vulgar and violent, to distance himself from the school. In its first fifteen years, the school's principal focus was fine art. In 1909 the school's name was changed to the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, reflecting a shift toward practical design and teaching fields under the leadership of Frank Alvah Parsons.