Johann Georg Meyer, called Meyer von Bremen, was born son of a baker in Bremen in 1813. He grew up in a strictly religious family. From an early point on he developed an interest in art and made first steps in drawing. He gave up his wish to become a missionary for the love for art, so he began to study at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts in 1833 where he expanded his skills in portrait painting in order to earn a living for himself and his family. At the Düsseldorf academy he attended the painting class of Wilhelm von Schadow and Carl Sohn, completed his studies within just a few years and opened his own studio in 1841. Early works by Meyer von Bremen are still characterized by his teachers‘ academic conceptions and a strong religiousness. Later works, however, show the influence of the typical lively Düsseldorf genre illustrations. Journeys to Hesse, Bavaria and the Swiss mountains widened his horizon and he attained a new topic in the depiction of countryfolk, usually in traditional costumes. Just as it is the case with works by his fellow painters Friedrich Eduard Meyerheim and Adrian Ludwig Richter, the depiction of a peaceful children's world and intact family life count among his main motifs, contributing to a constantly improving reputation and earning him more and more commissions.
In 1851 Meyer von Bremen married the singer Julia Beer, the following year they relocated from Düsseldorf to Berlin where he also opened a studio. After initial difficulties and a lack of commissions, his renown in Berlin soon grew and art traders and collectors honored Meyer von Bremen‘s works with increasing prices. Meyer von Bremen received many awards and honors. In 1857 he became member of the Academy of Arts in Amsterdam, later he was appointed professor. Even during his lifetime his paintings were widely spread through scores of reproductions in form of lithographs, engravings and photographs. Many owners of his art can be found in North America, where his works are in great demand up until today. Johann Georg Meyer died in Berlin in 1886.