Louis Betts was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. His art instruction came primarily from his father who was also a painter. At sixteen, he did his first portrait of his violin master in exchange for lessons, and Betts focused primarily on landscape painting until he was twenty-four. He then studied portrait painting at the Pennsylvania Academy for a year, and the first Cresson Scholarship permitted him to study for two years abroad. Betts then remained in France, England, Holland, Spain, and Italy for seven years painting portraits in court circles.

The late John Lane, English publisher, once visited the Art Institute, and wrote, "The most live portrait in the exhibition is far and away La ...