Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl was born to painter Ralph Earl and his second wife, Anne Whiteside, in England in approximately 1785. He came to America with his family as a child and studied painting with his father in Northampton, Massachusetts. He returned to England in 1809 to study under Benjamin West and John Trumbull and later traveled extensively, eventually arriving in Nashville on January 1, 1817 to paint Andrew Jackson's portrait. He met and married Rachel Jackson's niece, Jane Caffrey, later that year. Jane died in 1818, but Earl remained a part of Jackson's circle. After 1828, he specialized in portraits of Jackson and his intimates and was known facetiously as The King's Painter. Earl died at the Hermitage (near Nashville) on September 16, 1838.

James Barton Longacre was an American portraitist and engraver. He was born in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, to Sarah Barton and Peter Longacre on August 11, 1794. Following an apprenticeship with the engraving firm Murray, Draper, Fairman & Co. in Philadelphia, Longacre went on to be the Chief Engraver of the U. S. Mint, an office he held from 1844-1869. He is well known for his designs of many mid-19th century coins. Longacre was married to Elizabeth Stiles and together they had five children. Longacre died unexpectedly at his home on January 1, 1869.