Anson Dickinson was the oldest of ten children from Oliver and Anna Landon Dickinson and was born in 1779. He was born in Milton, Connecticut which is a borough of Litchfield, Connecticut. As a child, Anson Dickinson went on to be an apprentice to Isaac Thompson, who was a local silversmith in Litchfield. There is little else that is known about Anson Dickinson’s early life, however, it appears his work was regarded as exceptional and he eventually moved on to create sought after miniature portraits. He advertised his first portrait on May 27, 1802, and then painted his first portrait of his uncle Abel Dickinson in 1803. After a few years, Anson Dickinson decided to pursue more markets for his miniature portraits and from 1805 to 1812 he traveled around New York, South Carolina, Washington D.C., and even Canada, specifically around Montreal. After these years of a successful painting of miniature portraits, Anson Dickinson married Sarah Brown in 1812, and they settled in New York City. Shortly after settling in New York City, Anson Dickinson established a studio and was no longer reliant on commissions for his artwork. In 1824 Anson Dickinson and his wife Sarah Brown would adopt two children. After another two decades of a successful career painting miniature portraits, both Dickinson and his wife died in 1852. Dickinson made numerous portraits of famous figures of the time and was one of the most successful artists of the time period. His legacy was lasting in Litchfield, Connecticut, and inspired researchers like Mona Dearborn to learn more about this not very well known artist.

Mona Dearborn was born as Mona Leithiser in 1922 and was raised in Bantam and went to Litchfield High School. After High School, she went to the University of Connecticut and Syracuse University and attended the University of Colorado for graduate school. In 1945 she married Henry Dearborn and had three daughters. Mona worked for the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts for one to two years and after raising her children, she worked for the National Portrait Gallery of Smithsonian as an art historian for twenty years. After living in Litchfield for many years Mona became interested in Anson Dickinson and in the 1980s began her research about him. After years of research, she collected 214 research items related to Anson Dickinson. She compiled this research and wrote a book about Anson Dickinson in 1983 titled Anson Dickinson: The Celebrated Miniature Painter 1779-1852.