Alfred Walsh was born in Australia at Kyneton, Victoria, in 1859 and came to New Zealand with his parents, who settled in Dunedin in the 1860s. From an early age, he had a fascination with nature and spent his spare time sketching out of doors. On leaving school Walsh joined the Otago Public Works Department as a draughtsman and began attending evening classes at David Con Hutton's Dunedin School of Art, where he was considered a young artist of much promise.

In 1878 he was appointed as a student teacher at the school and held that position until 1883 when the art school was forced to cut its staff. Three years later Walsh was successful in his application for the post of Assistant Master at Canterbury College School of Art and remained on the teaching staff until 1911. After his retirement, he moved to Auckland, where he married in 1912 just four years before his death. Walsh had first started exhibiting in the late 1870s while a student at Dunedin School of Art. From 1883 his paintings were seen at annual society exhibitions in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

His favourite painting places were in the Otira region, Kaikoura and Westland and watercolours made at these locations were regularly exhibited thorough the 1890s and 1900s. Although he never travelled outside New Zealand, Walsh's works were sent to the major international exhibitions in Australia as early as 1888.