He was a painter of portraits & hunting scenes. Born the younger son of the laird of Kilgraston, Perthshire, Grant at first painted as an amateur. In the 1830s he took up painting as a profession.
His Social connections & flattering portrait style ensured a quick success, & in 1840 his portrait of Queen Victoria & Melbourne riding in Windsor Park made him the most fashionable portrait painter of the day.
He exhibited at the Royal Academy, British Institution, Suffolk Street & elsewhere.