John Frederick Herring Jr came from a family of sporting and animal artists, which included his two brothers, Benjamin and Charles, and his Uncle, Benjamin Senior.  His mother (a member of the Society  of Lady Artists) was also a competent painter and exhibited genre scenes at the Royal Academy from 1852 to 1866. His father  was a very highly regarded painter of sporting and animal subjects.

John was the first of three sons to help his successful father. He worked in both oil and watercolour, but his oils are of greater interest and they have in the past often been confused with his father's.

He married an artist, Kate Rolfe who exhibited a picture at the Royal Academy, and at the Suffolk Street Galleries. He spent the latter part of his life at Fulbourn near Cambridge.

Exhibited:  The Royal Academy 1863 - 1873 
The British Institute 1864 - 1867
The Suffolk Street Gallery.