Frederick Garling was one of the most prolific artists working on marine subjects in Sydney in the mid-19th century. He was born in London on 23 February 1806 and came to Australia in 1815. He was educated at St James's Grammar School in Phillip-street Sydney, when the Rev Thomas Bodenham was the headmaster. He worked as a customs official and marine artist. He married Elizabeth Ward in Sydney in 1829 and they had 11 children. His eldest son, Frederick Augustus Garling (1833-1910) was an explorer and settler in Queensland. Garling retired from the Customs Department in May 1859. He died at his home, at 199 Dowling St, in Sydney on 16 November 1873. He was 68 years of age.