Born in Invergordon, on the Cromarty Firth, Brough was an extremely successful and promising portrait painter and illustrator before his early death in a train accident. He attended art school in Aberdeen before studying in Edinburgh and in Paris. In 1897 Brough moved to London and became a friend and protégé of Sargent. In this bust, Derwent Wood has captured something of the 'faun-like alertness' and grace of his young friend.