Marmaduke Albert Langdale (1840–1905) was born in Hitcham, Buckinghamshire, the son of a clergyman. He came from an illustrious family line: his ancestor Marmaduke Langdale was knighted by King Charles I in 1627. Marmaduke A. Langdale trained at the Academy Schools, winning the Turner Gold Medal in 1865. A regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy thereafter, Langdale was known for his landscape paintings. A contemporary reviewer wrote: 'His pictures are executed in a soft and delicate manner, with a striking originality and charm which has won for the artist an innumerable number of admirers.' In his landscapes he was strongly influenced by J.M.W. Turner, owning a magnificent collection of copies of Turner’s works and regularly painting after Turner’s works in the National Gallery. He lived at Leacroft, Staines, and regularly painted landscapes around the Thames.