John George Brown
Lookey There!
1905

About the Item

John George Brown "Lookey There!" 1905 Oil on Canvas Signed and Dated Lower Right Site: approx 24 x 17 inches Framed: approx 30 x 24 inches Born into a poor family in Durham, England, John George Brown earned a reputation as one of 19th-century America's most skilled painters of children, especially entrepreneurial, cheerful street urchins who earned a pittance as boot blacks, newspaper vendors, etc. In some circles, he was dubbed the "Boot Black Raphael" because of the glowing faces of his child figures and his skill of execution. His paintings of these sympathy-arousing children were so popular in a Victorian era of increased industrialization that he became rich from painting sales as well as royalties from lithographs. Brown showed early drawing talent but was discouraged by his lawyer father who insisted that he learned a trade, so he apprenticed for seven years with a glass cutter at Newcastle-On-Tyne. He worked at this trade in Edinburgh, Scotland and attended the School of the Royal Scottish Academy under Robert Scott Lauder. At age 22, he went to London and earned a living painting portraits. Inspired by a music hall performer singing about the fascination of American life, he emigrated to Brooklyn and supported himself as a glass cutter at the Flint Glass Works in Brooklyn. His designs so impressed his employer that he helped Brown study in New York with miniaturist Thomas Cummings whose daughter Brown married. He studied art at night at the National Academy of Design, and in May, 1856, rented his first studio, which was located in Brooklyn. In 1860, he began painting his signature portraits and juvenile figures, and in 1863, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Design. He also served as a teacher at the Academy where his classes were very popular. To escape the pressure of his buying public and pursue other talents, he painted landscapes, some of them rural scenes including the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Hudson River Valley with treatment of light and shadow, in the style of Albert Bierstadt and Worthington Whittredge. One of his exhibition venues was the California State Fair in 1881 and 1884. Source: Michael David Zellman, "300 Years of American Art" Peter Falk, "Who Was Who in American Art" Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"

Creator:
John George Brown (1831-1913, American)
Creation Year:
1905
Dimensions:
Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)
Medium:
Oil,Canvas
Movement & Style:
Realist
Period:
1900-1909
Condition:
Very Good Condition.
Gallery Location:
Missouri, MO
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU74732426333
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John George Brown

John George Brown was born in 1831 near Durham, England. At fourteen he began a seven-year apprenticeship as a glass-cutter in Newcastle-on-Tyne, studying at night with William Bell Scott at the School of Design. From 1852 to 18253 he worked at the Holyrood Glass Works, Edinburgh, studying evenings at the Trustees Academy with Robert Scott Lauder. In 1853 Brown spent the summer in London where he painted a few portraits before emigrating to the United States that fall. He settled in Brooklyn finding work at the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company. During this time he attended the free classes offered at the Graham Art School and later studied under Thomas Seir Cummings at the National Academy of Design. In 1855, Brown opened a studio as a portrait painter. Brown received the support of the art dealer, Samuel S. P. Avery, and John H. Sherwood, collector and builder of the Sherwood Studio Building in 1880, who encouraged his turning from portraits to children as subjects. In 1859 Brown was one of the founding members of the Brooklyn Art Society and in 1861 a founding member of the Brooklyn Art Association. He moved to New York in 1861 finding quarters in the Tenth Street Studio Building where he maintained a studio for the rest of his life. Brown began in 1858 to exhibit at the National Academy, a practice he continued every year, except 1871, until his death. He was elected an associate of the Academy in 1861, full member in 1863, and served as its vice-president from 1899-1904. After turning to genre scenes of the street children of New York City in the 1860s, he soon became famous and wealthy. Brown copyrighted many of his paintings that were often reproduced commercially as chromolithographs or photographic reproductions. In 1867 he was elected one of the original members of the American Watercolor Society and was its president from 1887-1904. Brown and the art dealer, John Snedecor, travelled to Europe in 1870, visiting both London and Paris. During the summer months, he often explored the rural areas of New York and Vermont, as well as Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy.