Little is known of the artist of this work. In 1842 the ‘Sherborne Mercury’ recorded the death, in Lyme Regis on 22 May, of a John Drayton junior of the firm of solicitors Hillman and Drayton, the son of merchant John Drayton. The paper reported: ‘This amiable and talented young man, was proficient in the Fine Arts, and was universally respected and beloved.’
