Painter Stuart Lloyd, who is also known as Walter Stuart Lloyd, was born in England on March 17, 1858, son of publisher James Lloyd and Hannah Durham Lloyd, whose income afforded their children a good education. Walter and his older brother, Thomas James Lloyd (1849-1910), both studied to become artists, with Walter traveling to Paris to study under Bonnart in the early 1870's. Beginning in 1875 he began exhibiting at the Royal Academy and with the with the Royal Society of British Artists, to whom he was elected an associate member in 1879 - at age twenty, the youngest to ever receive the honor. He also exhibited regulary with the Royal Institute of Painters, the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham, and at Walker and Grosvenor galleries, among others. In 1891, he received a gold medal at the annual Crystal Palace exhibition for his painting, "The Harvest Moon."

Based primarily in Brighton, Lloyd focused on rural landscapes, coastal and riverscapes, and harbour scenes throughout England, but also frequented Scotland and, occasionally, parts of Europe for inspiration. He married Bessie Rose Kite in 1887 and they eventually settled in Hove, Brighton, where Lloyd died on July 18, 1926.

A note on the artist's name and dates: though he is frequently referred to as Walter Stuart Lloyd, the name 'Walter' was not on Stuart Lloyd's birth certificate and, indeed, was not a name he was associated with until around 1875, when he added a "W." to the beginning of his signature - and which he dropped in 1879. As well, his dates are often conflicting, given sometimes as being born around 1875 and deceased around 1929.