An aristocrat from Sheffield, England, Edwin Deakin came to America in 1856, living first in Chicago. In 1870, he moved to San Francisco, established a studio and soon was very much a part of the local art scene. Deakin painted landscapes of ruins and historic architecture. From 1887 to 1890, Deakin was in Europe where he painted scenes from times in the past such as historical streets in Paris like the Rue des Chantres, the oldest and smallest street in Paris on the Ile de la Cite.