Carleton Wiggins grew up in Brooklyn, where he lived for much of his life. After two years as a law clerk beginning in 1863, he sought instruction from artist Johann Harman Carmiencke of Brooklyn. Several years later, he also worked under George Inness in New Jersey. Although biographical sources state that he studied at the National Academy, there is no record of Wiggins's enrollment. He was, however, exhibiting landscapes at Academy Annuals by 1866; he continued to exhibit there until his departure for Europe in 1880 or 1881.
After spending a few years painting in Barbizon and Fontainebleau, Wiggins shifted from pure landscape to broadly brushed cattle and sheep pieces. He made several subsequent trips to Europe, but by 1904, his primary summer residence had become Old Lyme. He moved there permanently in 1917. His son, Guy, also became a painter and Academician.
