Born in 1813 in Milton, Massachusetts, Thomas Hewes Hinckley pioneered in painting cattle. His paintings Cattle Seeking Shelter from an Approaching Storm and Disputed Game were very popular. In 1845, he executed drawings of Daniel Webster's famous Ayrshire dairy herd.

He studied art with William Mason in Philadelphia, and by 1833 was a professional painter as a portraitist and sign painter. He became much influenced by William Landseer's animal paintings and the Flemish masters while visiting Europe in 1851. The Royal Academy in London exhibited two of Hinckley's hunting scenes in 1858.

Living as a guest on the island of Naushon permitted him time for detailed studies of deer, and he prod...