Joseph (Joe) Milne was born in Edinburgh in 1857, the elder brother of the painter William Watt Milne (1869-1949) and the father of John Maclauchlan Milne (1886-1957) qv. He painted mainly in oils, but occasionally in watercolours, producing land and seascapes which were notable for their strong, bright tones. When working in watercolour, he made free use of bodycolour. Although he lived much of his life in Edinburgh, he worked for a time in Dundee and also in Ayrshire.

He exhibited extensively at both the Royal Scottish Academy, from 1877 until 1902 (a total of 81 works) and the Glasgow Institute from 1880-1902 (45 works); he also had 7 works shown in London, at the RA between 1887 and 1908. Early titles often had a genre content. Favourite subjects were the coasts of Scotland and working rivers, particularly “The Silvery Tay”. Joseph Milne died in Edinburgh in 1911, at the age of 53.