George Ficklin was born in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, Hampshire. He is believed to have married his wife, Amelia, during the 1860s and the couple lived in Lewisham (1871) and in Surrey (1891). He was employed as an HM customs officer during the 1880s and 1890s.

Kelly's Directory of 1893 lists this artist as living at Penlee Villa, Penlee View Terrace, Penzance. Penlee House includes a painting of Ficklin's, entitled Contentment, dated 1895.

Wood identifies him as living in Pimlico, London at earlier dates (1865-1885), but also finds that he exhibited seven paintings of landscape subjects from Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall at Smith Street within that period.  This may simply indicate that he had also been in Cornwall from time to time in years prior to residence from the mid-1880s.

From 1885 he is also recorded (J&G) with an address in Falmouth. He exhibited at both the RBA and RI. Ficklin died in Penzance.