John George Brown (1831-1913) Can't Make it Out, late 19th century Oil on canvas; 18½ x 11 in.

John George Brown was born in Durham, England and emigrated to New York in 1853.  He settled in Brooklyn where he worked as a glass blower while pursuing his art education at the National Academy of Design.  Wealthy patrons embraced his ability to capture the sentimental side of immigrant life in New York.  Especially popular were his paintings of children - shoeshiners, vendors,and servants.  Can't Make it Out is an example of Brown's sentimental view of his subjects, free from the reality of the poverty and struggle of their lives.  At the turn of the century, John George Brown was perhaps the most popular and financially successful genre painter in America.