Joseph Sydney Hallam was born in born in Manchester, England, and moved to Canada with his family at age 12.

J.S. Hallam studied art at the Hamilton Technical School, the Toronto Central Technical School and at the Ontario College of Art, where he was taught by J.W. Beatty. He also took private classes from other artists.

The artist took a job with the Toronto printing company Sampson-Matthews Ltd. around 1921. This association would continue for years, and several J.S. Hallam paintings were reproduced as silkscreens by Sampson-Matthews during the heyday of its Canadian art project from 1942-1963.

J.S. Hallam had a strong interest and talent for graphic design and illustration, as well as painting.

Paintings he did of Canadian historic sites and villages were displayed at the Canadian National Exhibition, Gallery of Little Pictures, and reproduced in the magazine Canadian Homes and Gardens.