Grafton Tyler Brown was born in Pennsylvania in 1841. Grafton was black but he was not a slave. As a boy, Grafton worked in a print shop. He drew pictures for newspapers. Later, he moved to California. In California he worked in and then bought a print shop. His print shop was successful, but Grafton's real love was painting. So he sold the print shop. After that, he traveled and painted.

In 1883 he opened an art studio. He became the first successful African American artist in the West. He painted landscapes he saw in the West. View of the Lower Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is a picture he painted in 1890.