An advocate of the British Watercolor Schools, Edward Duncan was a painstakingly skilled artist in his preferred media. He did train in oil as well, and was an accomplished and professional engraver. He started his own engraving studio after tutelage under the Havell Brothers in London, and primarily created print works for Fores of Piccadilly and marines from originals of William Huggins, whose daughter Bertha he married.

Within his own paintings, and once he had met Huggins, the official artist to the royal court of William IV, Duncan branched out into marine subjects, but almost always held to coastal and harbor subjects, while he continued to paint landscape scenes often populated with animals and farms. His wa...