John George Brown was born in 1831, the son of an lawyer, near Durham, England. After an adolescence studying glass work on Tyneside in the northeast of England, Brown immigrated to New York City in 1853 and emerged in the 1860s with a reputation as one of America’s most adept painters of children subjects of the century. During this period, Brown became popular and wealthy from painting sales as well as royalties from lithographs of his detailed and touching genre paintings of underprivileged street children. He was not solely an opportunist, however, and is quoted as saying, “I do not paint poor boys solely because the public likes such pictures and pays me for them, but because I love the boys myself, for I too, was once a poor lad like them.”

Brown began an apprenticeship as a glass cutter when he was fourteen, while he studied at night at the School of Design in Newcastle under the tutelage of William Bell Scott, the Scottish-American painter and poet. Brown then obtained a job at Holyrood Glass Works in 1852 in Edinburgh, while again studying at night, this time with Robert Scott Lauder, a portrait painter and one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy at the Trustees Academy. Soon after, Brown settled in Brooklyn working at a glass company, while studying at the National Academy of Design. In 1855, he turned to portraits when his father-in-law’s financial help abled Brown to open his own studio. His talent in portraiture drew the attention of Samuel P. Avery, one of the most successful art dealers in New York of the late nineteenth century, who convinced Brown to focus on children as subjects. After becoming involved with the National Academy where he eventually served as vice-president, Brown went on to become a founding member of both the Brooklyn Art Society and the Brooklyn Art Association in 1859 and 1861, respectively. The English-born painter increased his involvement on the art scene as one of the original members and President of the American Watercolor Society. Brown’s works continue to be considered as historical glimpses into nineteenth century city life in New York City and were exhibited for years after his 1913 death.