John Beer was a prolific painter of the finishes of major races around the turn of the nineteenth century. He also painted eight pictures of The Epsom Derby. He worked in oils, water colour and gouache. However, little is known about the artist. He spent most of his working life in London, for a time using the studio over Flores Gallery. Unfortunately, the quality of his work was not consistent.
John Beer was a British sporting artist, known for his horse racing scenes. He was one of several artists employed by racecourses to produce spontaneous renderings of race finishes. Beer’s drawings were hung at the racecourse so that late arrivals to the track could see who had won the earlier races.