Holt was born in 1830 in Hampstead, but spent most of his life in Dunstable.

He began his artistic career by studying at the Royal Academy of Art where he went on to win a silver medal for his work at the age of twenty-four.

From this point on, his work continued to get recognised and many of his pieces were entered into exhibitions. In total, Edwin Frederick Holt exhibited seven paintings at the Royal Academy, twelve at the British Institution and forty at the Royal Society of Arts.