Born in Stirling, Scotland in 1865 William Watt Milne is best remembered for his landscape and coastal scenes in which natural light is represented to great effect. The artist’s use of brushwork and colour, often vibrant and bold, contributed to his reputation as a precursor to the Impressionist movement in Britain. The artist regularly depicted his native Scotland and often travelled in England and Wales, completing notable series of paintings of areas such as St Ives, Cornwall.

He exhibited with the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh throughout his career. The artist died in 1949. His work is represented in a number of collections throughout Britain and the USA.