Little is known of John Valda's early life, but at the age of only 21 he opened his own Art School. Until 1905, Valda's work appeared in leading periodicals such as Lady's Realm and English Illustrated. The 1920s were the most productive years of Valda's career. In 1923, Harold Twyman, editor of Union Jack, asked him to supply front page and interior illustrations for Sexton Blake stories. Valda did so for the next ten years. Some of his later work appeared in the last issues of Detective Weekly. John Harris Valda died in 1942.