Originally from Brooklyn, New York, F. Townsend Morgan studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the Art Students League in New York City. He was later appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the second director of the Key West artists group working under the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Morgan was an accomplished printmaker and his etchings often depict the Key West, Florida area in meticulous detail.

Morgan's work is part of the permanent collections of several notable institutions including New York Public Library, Library of Congress, and the Treasury Department of the United States. As well as Museums in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and the Key West Art & Historical Society Customs House Museum.