Walter Waller Caffyn was born in Dorking in 1850. He lived at various addresses in Dorking including Howard Road and Vincent Road, where he died at the age of 47 in 1897 after several month’s illness.
From the Royal Academy of Arts publication it is known that he had 11 works accepted for exhibition by the Academy and 26 displayed at the Society of British Artists in Suffolk Street. He also collaborated with the painter H. R Rolfe. a friend and contemporary, contributing the landscape backgrounds to the other’s angling pictyres. He collaborated similarly with J.F Herring (Junior) and K.A Roland.
An obituary of Caffyn records him as man of many parts: “an excellent violinist”, “a conductor of a local orchestra”, “a founder of the Dorking Gymnasium” amongst other talents.
He achieved a great distinction as an artist with many scenes in Surrey, Kent and other counties. His success as a painter came about by his own merits, although quite modest about it himself. WW Caffyn’s pictures brought out the freshness of the countryside. His forte was landscapes and in the last 20 years produced several works of great merit.
