Walter Paget, who usually signed himself "Wal Paget", was the youngest of three artist brothers and probably the least distinguished. His eldest brother, Henry, attended the Royal Academy Schools and worked for The Sphere as a "special artist" during the Balkan War of 1912-13. Walter had worked for this magazine, too, in London during the Boer War, turning the rough sketches sent by the paper's "specials" in South Africa into complete illustrations for publication.

Walter's second brother, Sidney, also attended the Academy Schools. He was an experienced illustrator and is said to have used Walter as his model for the first edition of Sherlock Holmes. Walter Paget's art was usually workmanlike but for the most part uninspired.