 James Barton Longacre was born on a farm in Delaware County , Pennsylvania on August 11 , 1794 . His mother Sarah ( Barton ) Longacre died early in his life ; his father , Peter Longacre , was the descendent of early Swedish settlers of North America . When Peter Longacre remarried , his son found the home life intolerable , and James Longacre left home at the age of 12 , seeking work in the nearby city of Philadelphia . He apprenticed himself at a bookstore ; the owner , John E. Watson , took the boy into his family . Over the following years , Longacre worked in the bookstore , but Watson realized that the boy 's skill was in portraiture . Watson granted Longacre a release from his apprenticeship in 1813 so that he could follow an artistic muse , but the two remained close , and Watson would often sell Longacre 's works . 
