By trade, Jakob Becker was a lithographer from the drawing school in Worms, who, from 1833, studied painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy with Johann Wilhelm Schirmer and, especially, Wilhelm von Schadow. Around 1840, he was regarded as the most important representative of the genre painting in Düsseldorf. In 1841/42, he was appointed professor for genre and landscape painting at the Städelsche Kunstschule in Frankfurt. Ever since, he concentrated on his art of depicting folk life, especially of the peasants in the Westerwald and in Hesse. He was also known for his empathetic portraits. Jakob Becker was an extremely influential teacher until his death. With his style, he influenced numerous artists who were trained at the Städelschule during those three decades, including the members of the “Kronberger Malerkolonie”.