A painter of animals in landscapes, Bispham was born in Philadelphia, and spent most of his life there and in New York and Paris.

He studied in Philadelphia under William Trost Richards and later in Paris with Otto Weber. Tuckerman noted his "excellent pictures" of animals in landscapes are delineated with "great authenticity and fine feeling".

Bispham exhibited at the National Academy of Design, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The Brooklyn Art Association, the Boston Art Club, the Century Association, Philadelphia Sketch Club and at the Royal Academy in London and the Paris Salons.