Robert Edge Pine was the son of the well-known London engraver and printseller, John Pine. He won the Society of Art premiums for his history paintings in 1760 and 1763. Likely as a result of his radical politics, he was not invited to join the Royal Academy upon its founding in 1768. In 1772, he moved to Bath, where he enjoyed the patronage of George William Fairfax. In 1780, he returned to London, but his support of the American quest for independence prevented him from obtaining important commissions. In 1784, he immigrated with his wife and daughters to Philadelphia, with the intention of painting a series of canvases celebrating the leaders and events of the Revolution. He died before completing the project.