Born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1869, William Walker Alexander was an illustrator and printmaker. After an apprenticeship in his elder brother's engraving studio, he studied in the atelier of George A. Reid and went on to attend the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia under Thomas Eakins. He later became a founding member of the Art Student's League of Toronto, an organization of artists driven by the need for an alternative to the more rigid and formal professional associations and academies. Alexander was known for his skills as an etcher and bookplate maker.