Lucien Davis was born in Liverpool, the son of William Davis and the brother of landscape artist  J.Valentine Davis.

He worked as an illustrator for the Illustrated London News, The Graphic, and many illustrated books.

He was renowned for his genre paintings of Victorian society, and exhibited at the Royal Academy between the years of 1885 to 1913.  This watercolour was shown there in 1901, catalogue no. 1183.