Wilifred De Glehn was one of England's leading Impressionists. He was recognized for his confident, painterly style and deft ability to capture the myriad effects of light. Born in Sydenham, England in 1870, he received his training in the Royal College of Art in South Kensington and later at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he studied under Gustave Moreau and Elie Delaunay.

De Glehn's close relationship with John Singer Sargent was a defining aspect of his career. De Glehn met Sargent in 1895 through Edwin Austin Abby, who hired the young artist to assist Sargent on his murals for Boston Public Library. From that point forward, the two artists established a close friendship. De Glehn returned to the States in 1903 and married Jane Emmet, a member of a Boston family of painters and cousin to the novelist Henry James. Shortly afterward the newlywed couple returned to Europe with Sargent where they embarked on many years of travel throughout Spain, Switzerland and Italy. Sargent and de Glehn were at the center of a circle of painters and artists. The years they spent together were productive and successful for de Glehn who built an impressive reputation and body of work.

In 1915, during World War I, with their travel and lifestyle disrupted, de Glehn and his wife joined the staff of the Franco-British Red Cross at a British hospital for French soldiers, Hôpital Temporaire d'Arc-en-Barrois, Haute-Marne, France. He obviously painted The English Hospital while working there. At once a beautiful landscape by an assured artist, the work also acts a fascinating piece of history, a wonderfully preserved moment in time. De Glehn deftly captures the landscape with bravura brushwork and scintillating light while simultaneously conveying the respite and peace that the hospital provided. The following year, de Glehn served with the Royal Garrison Artillery and traveled to the Italian front. Because he spoke fluent French, he spent the last part of the war as an interpreter.

After the war, de Glehn continued to work as an artist and exhibited widely. He promoted British Impressionism throughout his career and was a successful portrait painter in London and the United States. In 1923, he was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy, and in 1932 he was made a full Academician.