Vasily Perov was a prominent figure in the Russian Realist movement and one of the founding members of Peredvizhniki. Perov was an illegitimate son of Baron Gregor Gustav Friedrich von Krüdener and Akulina Ivanova. His parents married soon after his birth, but he was registered under his godfather's surname, Vasiliev, due to the unavailability of his father's name and title. He later adopted the name Perov, which was a nickname given to him by his teacher during his childhood.

Perov's artistic journey began with a course at Arzamas uyezd school, followed by admission to the Alexander Stupin art school in Arzamas. In 1853, he enrolled in the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, where he learned fr om renowned artists. Perov's talent earned him several awards, including a major golden medal for Sermon in a Village in 1861. He traveled to Western Europe in 1862, wh ere he created paintings depicting European street life. Upon his return, he created some of his best-known pieces, including The Queue at The Fountain and Last Journey. He received the title of academician in 1866 and became a professor at the Moscow School of Arts, Sculpture, and Architecture in 1871. Perov died on June 10, 1882, from tuberculosis and was interred at the Donskoy Cemetery.