Stubbs studied anatomy and taught it at a hospital in York, but as an artist was largely self-taught. He lived for the most part in Lincolnshire and London.
In 1751 he made illustrations for a textbook on midwifery and in 1766 published Anatomy of the Horse. He became a popular painter of horses to the aristocracy, also producing pictures of dogs, portraits, scenes of rural life, and some work on enamel executed under the guidance of Josiah Wedgwood.
