Bristow was born in Eton, Berkshire, the son of an heraldic painter. At an early age he was patronised by the Princess Elizabeth, the Duke of Clarence (afterwards William IV), and others. He made sketches of well-known characters in Eton and Windsor, painted still life, interiors, and domestic and sporting subjects. He had great sympathy with animals, some power of rendering their characteristic movements and expressions, and is said to have been a friend of and given advice to Sir Edwin Landseer.

In 1809 he exhibited a painting, "Smith shoeing a Horse", at the Royal Academy, and was an occasional exhibitor there and at the British Institution, and Society of British Artists, until the year 1838, when he exhibited the "Donkey Race" at the latter's gallery in Suffolk Street.

Bristowe was an eccentric man of independent spirit and worked only when the spirit moved him – not to order. He sometimes refused even to sell his finished works. He excelled in the drawing of monkeys, cats, and horses. His works tended to be small in scale, well observed and with great attention to detail. Many of his works were bought by private collectors in the local area. Amongst his paintings may be mentioned: 'Monkey Pugilists,' 'Cat's Paw,' 'Law and Justice,' 'Incredulity,' 'The Rehearsal,' 'Pros and Cons of Life.' Engravings of a few of his works appeared in The Sporting Magazine and elsewhere.

Bristow produced little during the fifteen years immediately preceding his death, which took place at Eton on 12 February 1876, at the age of 89.

• Gilbey, Sir Walter (1900). Animal painters of England from the year 1650. Vol. 1. London: Vinton & Company. pp. 75–80.
• Hepworth, Walter (1886). "Bristowe, Edmund" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 6. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 357–358.

Attribution:

•   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bryan, Michael (1886). "Bristow, Edmund". In Graves, Robert Edmund (ed.). Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers (A–K). Vol. I (3rd ed.). London: George Bell & Sons.

• 53 artworks by or after Edmund Bristow at the Art UK site
• Edmund Bristow on Artnet
• Two Skewbalds, a grey and spaniel etc (Oil, 1846 – Christie's)
• London from Greenwich (oil – Christie's)
• The soldier's homecoming (Tate Fine art management)
• Don Quixote (Oil – Christie's)
• Off to market^{[permanent dead link]} (Oil, 1828 – Burlington Paintings, 30 Jan 2011))
• The inside of an apothecary shop Archived 22 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine (Science Museum, London)
• Edmund Bristow biography and paintings (Sphinx Fine Arts – accessed 30 Jan 2011)
• Paintings by Edmund Bristow Archived 13 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (Lowndes Fine Art – accessed 30 Jan 2011))
• Edmund Bristow (Art Renewal Center Museum)