Valentine Prinsep was born in 1838 in Calcutta, India, the son of an Indian civil servant who was able to afford a home in one of London's most fashionable areas. Prinsep went to Haileyville and was fortunate to have as his teacher George Frederick Watts. Watts was a historical and portrait painter, now regarded as one of the foremost of the Victorian artists.

Watts seems to have been a permanent guest in the Prinsep home which was a meeting place for all the major artists, poets and writers of the day. He suggested that Valentine should go to Paris to complete his art education under Gleyre. After studying in France, Prinsep returned to England; he married well-connected Florence Leyland. He painted historical subjects and portraits...