Alfred Palmer was an English Painter in oil and watercolour, sculptor and draughtsman, landscapes, portraits and figure subjects. He studied art at the Royal Academy Schools, where he came under the influence of John Singer Sargent, and at the Académie Julian, for several years around the turn of the century. He maintained a studio in Paris and travelled regularly to Italy, Germany and Spain, where he was influenced by Velázquez. He had a fine bass singing voice, which was trained while living in Florence. In 1906 married the artist Mary Croom, with whom he settled in Kent. Palmer continued his travels in North Africa, and his ability as a linguist led to his doing secret service work in World War I.