Tom Faed was born in Kirkudbrightshire in 1826, the son of James Faed a Millwright. He was educated at the School of Design Edinburgh, and became an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1849. In 1852 he moved to London, where he became rapidly successful-he was also very handsome. Faed became ARA in 1859 and RA in 1864. He was best known as a painter of genre, his pictures including “The Motherless Bairn, Home and The Homeless, From Dawn to Sunset, “ and “The Last of the Clan.” Genre with a Scottish lilt and a strong element of pathos. Faed lived in St John’s Wood, and was a member of the Athenaeum Club.