John Carlin was born June 15, 1813, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carlin was deafened in infancy and roamed Philadelphia's streets until he met David Seixas in 1820. Seixas ran an informal school for deaf children called Mount Airy School (the present Pennsylvania School for the Deaf) which Carlin attended until 1825. Carlin worked as a sign and house painter while studying portrait painting with John Neagle and John Rubens Smith. Beginning in 1834, Carlin kept a studio in Philadelphia where he primarily painted miniature portraits for clients. In 1838, Carlin traveled to Europe to study under Paul Delaroche, a famed Parisian painter. He lived in Paris for three years. On his return to America, Carlin opened a studio in New York City where he cultivated a notable client list, including William H. Seward, Thurlow Weed, and Jefferson Davis. Carlin also enjoyed success as a published author of poetry, a children's book, and diverse articles. Carlin donated heavily to deaf community building, including funds toward the construction of St. Ann's Episcopal Church for the Deaf in New York. Carlin married Mary Wayland, William Henry Seward’s niece, in 1843. The couple had five children, including one child they named after Frances Miller Seward. Carlin died of pneumonia on April 23, 1891.