Continuing in the traditions of Sir Frank Dicksee and John William Waterhouse, Mary Browning specialized in romantic genre scenes; often gaining her inspiration from tales of life in medieval times.

Her paintings show a definite influence from the Impressionist painters, with her quick brushstrokes and bold coloration; but her style is grounded in the Academic traditions of finely modeled figures.  A Jesters’ Joust is a bold and important example of Browning’s work and is one of only two paintings known to exist by the artist; the other being A Difference of Opinion which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1908.