 Of his seven brothers, four, George (1869–1955), Jack (1872–1926), Edwin (1877–1952) and Norman (1879–1917), were also illustrators.He was educated at the Government School of Art in Belfast, and won a scholarship to study in Kensington in 1882, where he began a lifelong friendship with the British sculptor Albert Toft.He contributed illustrations to the "English Illustrated Magazine", "Bits" and "Good Words".