Gilbert Spencer (1892-1979) was born at Cookham, Berkshire, and was brother of the painter Stanley Spencer. Gilbert studied at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, woodcarving at the Royal College of Art, 1911–12, then with Fred Brown and Henry Tonks at the Slade School of Fine Art 1913–20, although between 1915–19 this was broken by Army service. Spencer had his first one-man show at the Goupil Gallery in 1923, also exhibiting at RA (he was elected RA in 1960), NEAC of which he was early made a member, Leicester Galleries, RSA, Redfern Gallery and many other venues. Although he produced notable wall paintings for Holywell Manor, Oxford, 1934–6, Spencer made his name as a landscape artist working mainly in the English southern counties.