John L. Magee was a lithographer, cartoonist, and genre painter who worked for lithographers in New York City from 1844 to 1847. He then opened his own establishment in Philadelphia in 1850 and worked there professionally for the next two decades. The Claremont Manufacturing Company was formed in 1832. Although primarily concerned with real estate speculation and development, the company also operated a printing press under the direction of their agent, Simeon Ide.
