Charles Spencelayh was born in 19th Century Rochester in Kent, and first studied at the National Art Training School, South Kensington, London. Between 1892 and 1958, he exhibited more than 70 paintings at the Royal Academy, including "Why War" (1939), which won the Royal Academy ‘Picture of the Year’. He was also a founder member of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, where he exhibited 129 miniatures between 1896 and 1954.
