Walter Dendy Sadler was amongst the most popular and successful British artists in the late nineteenth century. The son of a solicitor who settled in Dorking, he was educated nearby at Horsham, and thereafter at Heatherley's Art School in London. His talent was such that W. Simmler, a native of Dsseldorf, offered to teach him in Germany for free. Sadler made his debut at the Dudley Gallery in 1872 at the age of eighteen and continued to exhibit there and at the Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, and Grosvenor Gallery for many years. Although a frequent exhibitor at the Royal Academy he never became an Academician. His popularity is reflected in the numerous engravings that were made of his works.
Although reknowned for his Regency subjects, most notably, A Meeting of Creditors (sold Christie's, London, 6 June 1997, lot 59); he also painted many contemporary scenes that are comparable with the present work, such as After Dinner, Rest Awhile, which was sold in these rooms on 29 March 1996, lot 92.