Junius Brutus Stearns was born on July 2, 1810 in Arlington, Vermont. His name at birth was Lucius Sawyer Stearns. Stearns married in 1835 and had one daughter and four sons. Two of his sons were named for artists, Raphael Corregio and Michael Angelo. His other two sons were named Junius Brutus Jr. and Sylvester Lucius Stearns.

He became a noted 19th-century painter of portraits, genre, and historical subjects. He was a student at the National Academy of Design around 1838. He began exhibiting there and throughout his career was closely associated with this institution, and by 1849 he was an associate member and one year later a full member. At this time he traveled to Paris and London to stu...