James Baker Pyne was initially articled to an attorney (lawyer) but became an artist in about 1821, selling a landscape to the collector John Gibbons in 1826. His early work was close in style to both Jackson and Danby. By the late 1820s he was painting both local views and the purely imaginary landscapes typical of the Bristol School at this time. He taught the young Müller and like his former pupil he illustrated the Bristol Riots in a series of small and atmospheric oils on card. In 1832 he went to Europe and stayed in Calais with Rippingille. He moved to London about this time and his work became very much influenced by J. M.W. Turner. His style evolved from the poetical landscapes that characterize the Bristol School and became more typically Victorian.