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| John George Brown |
| 1831-1913 |
| European/American Artist |
| Brown was born in Dunham, England. Although he loved painting, at his father's insistence, he apprenticed as a glasscutter. His trade took him to Scotland, and then to Brooklyn, New York where he worked at Flint Glass Works. Brown studied art at night, painting landscapes in the style of Albert Bierstadt and Worthington Whittredge, experimenting with light and shadow. In the 1860s, Brown began painting his favorite subject: the city shoeshine boy. Between 1880 and 1910, he painted hundreds of street youngsters, and gained recognition as one of 19th century America's most skilled painters of children. His images reflected popular notions that even the poorest could rise to success through hard work. |
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