John Arnesby Brown

Sir John Alfred Arnesby Brown (29 March 1866 in Nottingham He played in The Football League for Notts County, his only appearance coming in a heavy 9–1 defeat to Aston Villa in September 1888. As a landscape artist, he was best known for his impressionistic depictions of pastoral landscapes, often featuring cattle; for his achievements in this field, he was knighted in 1938.

Early life and football career Brown "received his education at Nottingham High School" and took his first art lessons under a local tutor.

He was rather less successful when he made his sole appearance in a Football League match. This was against Aston Villa at Wellington Road on 29 September 1888, Brown playing on the wing. Reported to have made "An even worse exhibition than usual," the Magpies were four goals in arrears at half–time. They pulled one back – through an own goal – but then "never had another look in" as Villa added a further five. The 9–1 score–line still remains on the record books as Notts' worst Football league defeat.

Brown made four appearances for Notts County (one League and three FA Cup) and scored one FA Cup goal.

Art career and later life In 1886, Brown married Mia Edwards (1870–1931), also a painter, who had studied under Hubert von Herkomer at the Bushey School of Art in London. Brown himself studied at Bushey for four years from 1889, he became an elected Associate there in 1903. He has been called "the artist Nottingham forgot", with little remaining reference to him in Nottingham. In his latter years he lived in Haddiscoe, Norfolk and did a number of paintings of the local church, a fine example of which hangs in the Castle Museum, Norwich, with several of his other paintings. In 1931, he commissioned the beautiful stained-glass window which can be see in the Haddiscoe church, dedicated to his wife, Mia.

His brother Eric Brown (1877–1939) was the first director of the National Gallery of Canada, from 1912 to 1939.