Pye was born in Blackburn, England, and went to sea as a young man. When he returned he studied at Heatherley’s Art School in London. He moved to Weymouth in Dorset (c 1884) where he remained for over 50 years. He taught as Art master at Connaught House in Weymouth until his death in 1934. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, The British Institution and the Royal Society of British Artists. Weymouth Museum has a large collection of his work.