David Claypoole Johnston was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1798. He began studying engraving as an apprentice in 1815 in Philadelphia, but his work in caricatures was deemed too controversial to publish. For this reason, in 1821 he turned to theater and became an actor, performing in both Boston and Philadelphia. After his stint in theater he returned to engraving, setting up an engraving office in Boston. He died in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1865.