Thomas Sidney Cooper specialised in animal painting, particularly sheep and cattle. His pictures struck a chord with Victorian picture buyers – he was remarkably successful and made a fortune. In 1833, he exhibited at the Royal Academy for the first time, and from then until his death, he never missed a year. Altogether he exhibited 266 paintings at the Royal Academy. He set a still unbroken record for continuous exhibiting there.

Animal painting was a British speciality during the 18th and 19th centuries. Various artists specialised in sporting, agricultural, and domestic animals. Cooper’s paintings, with their idyllic, perhaps idealised air, were perhaps intended for city rather than country dwellers. His placid, well-fed looking cattle seem contented in their lush landscape.