John Frederick Herring, Sr was an English artist during the early 19th century. He showed a passion for sketching early in life but took a job as a coach driver to support his family.
Change of Course
It was his coaching job that actually led to Herring’s career as an artist. He was discovered by Charles Spencer-Stanhope who loved Herring’s work and immediately found him commissioned work. Initially he continued driving as he painted, but eventually his offers of sponsorship won and he pursued art full time.
Herring’s was commissioned by a variety patrons, including Queen Victoria of England.
Not So Exciting
In doing research for this post I came across a biography which stated that Herring painted beautiful horses…although you could accuse his racehorses of being a little boring. If you liked Herring’s work be sure to check out more horses of the masters.