George Forster was born in Bavaria, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1865, settling in New York. By 1870 he was exhibiting paintings at the National Academy of Design. George Forster is “known for his lush still lifes, full of the sense of texture from smooth to rough, he placed fruit in natural settings with animals and plants.”

In Still Life with Fruit, Nest, Eggs, and Insects, 1862, Forster has combined fruit in a glass surrounded by a nest with eggs, insects, a snail, and nuts, on a tree stump. Tree foliage frames the left side of the painting and a landscape view can be seen through the clearing on the right. His exhibition of these elements directly relates to his chosen subject matter of placing contrasting textures, fruits, plants, and animals outdoors in a natural setting.