Thomas Faed was born in Scotland in 1826. Trained in Edinburgh he spent most of his life in London, where he became one of the most successful painters of his time.

Although living in England, his paintings often dealt with Scottish subjects. Faed's paintings include The Last of the Clan (1865), The Poor, The Poor Man's Friend (1867), They Had Been Boys Together (1885) and The School Board in the Cottage (1892), His brother, John Faed (1820-1902) was also a talented artist.

Thomas Faed died in 1900.