John Sartain was a printmaker, miniaturist and portraitist. Born in London in 1808, he was apprenticed to engraver John Swain before coming to America in 1830 and settling in Philadelphia.  Sartain was a prolific engraver, creating hundreds of illustrations for magazines, including his own "Sartain's Magazine". In the late 1850s, he started to make large engravings of major imaginative and historical works, including those of Benjamin West and Peter F. Rothermel. Sartain was an active member of the Philadelphia art community. He was a teacher and officer at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women and was the art director of the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia in 1876. He also exhibited works at several European expositions.