George Hillyard Swinstead, was born at Chelsea, London in 1860, son of Charles Swinstead, headmaster of North London School of Art, and his second wife Jane née Hillyard (1826-1891), who married at London City in 1847, Charles had previously married Emma Hillyard (1815-1842) at St Pancras, London in 1839. George, who was a brother to Frank Hillyard Swinstead, studied at North London School of Art and at the Royal Academy Schools.
George was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1893 and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colour in 1907.