John George Brown
John George Brown
American, born England, 1831–1913
Birth placeDurham, England
BiographyAmong the most popular and prolific artists working in the United States in the late nineteenth-century, John George ("J.G.") Brown specialized in genre scenes of urban and rural children. Genre painting--paintings of everyday life featuring anonymous figures--developed and flourished in the Jacksonian era when such vernacular expressions of American life appealed (and contributed) to the country's broadening audience for art. Born in England, trained as a glasscutter, and seeking additional artistic study at night, Brown came to the United States in 1853 and worked for the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company. Encouraged to pursue further study by his employer (and soon-to-be father-in-law), Brown took art classes at the Graham Art School in Brooklyn and, in 1857, the National Academy of Design in Manhattan. By 1860, he was a prominent member of the New York artistic community, exhibiting his works at the National Academy of Design and maintaining a studio in the famed Tenth Street Studio Building. IN 1863, largely on the strength of †Curling--a Scottish Game, at Central Park†, which he exhibited that year to great critical acclaim, Brown was elected to full membership.
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