John C. Janes, printmaker and graphic artist, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on December 31,1882. In 1894, he became an apprentice to the Chicago engraver  Julius H. Ahrman. Janes moved to California in 1924, settling in Alhambra in the south. He produced a body of etchings featuring animals and ships and two of his etchings were given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1933. He must have preferred anonymity as very little information has been found on his work and career. Janes died in Alhambra, California on October 23, 1975.