In 1815, John Frederick Herring, Sr., started his career as a painter of inn signs and of insignia on sides of coaches. He soon became employed as a coachman on routes between London and Yorkshire, only painting in his spare time. In due course, he started to be recognized for his talent by wealthy customers and became an artist full-time, painting the horses of numerous Yorkshire families.

Among his best-known works are those of the winners of prestigious horse races, such as the St Leger Stakes and the Derby, which he attended each year. In 1845, he was appointed Animal Painter to Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Kent was commissioned to paint the monarch’s two favorite horses. The resulting painting, Tajar and Hammon, was given to Victoria as a birthday present and forms part of the Royal Collection today (RCIN 401368).