Born in Durham, England in 1831, Brown studied art in England and Scotland before coming to American in 1853. He was a glassblower in Brooklyn, and a student at the National Academy of Design in New York City.

Brown exploited his considerable talent to supply the Victorian taste for his specialty - adept pictures of young white shoeshiners, vendors and servants. Brown’s street juveniles are invariably cheerful, spunky tykes, and they are undeniably appealing. Even the most uneven of Brown’s popularized works show painterly skill and sound training.

Brown died in 1913 in New York City.

For more information on this artist or the Southern masterworks in our collection, please visit our gallery website.

This essay is copyrighted by the Charleston Renaissance Gallery and may not be reproduced or transmitted without written permission from Hicklin Galleries, LLC.