Arthur Augustus Dixon was born in St. Pancras in 1872.

In 1887, upon the death of his father, he moved to Islington with his mother Rosa and his two brothers Frederick and Herbert.

From a young age, Arthur Dixon was recognized for having a rare talent, which led him to exhibit his works in his native London.

When he was just 24 years old, his paintings were presented at the Royal Academy of Art and the Royal Society of British Artists.

Before Arthur Dixon became the most famous illustrator of his time, in his paintings, he was a forerunner of Pre-Raphaelite painting.

In 1899 he married Cecil Elsie Sowerby, an artist and sculptor with whom he had two children Elsie and Arthur Cecil.

Arthur started working as an illustrator of classic novels and storybooks for Ernest Nister of London, Clear-Type Press of Collins of Glasgow, and Blackie & Sons.

He died in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, in 1959.