Edward Ridley was a portrait and figure painter, born in Birmingham. He worked at Hardman & Co on stained glass while studying part time at Birmingham School of Art. From 1909, after working for both the Birmingham Education Committee and for a time at Cheltenham Ladies College, Ridley became a full time teacher at the Central School of Art & Design in London, later elevated to head a new Department of Fashion Design.
Ridley also became the art critic for the Birmingham Mail, and showed his own work mostly at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, where he became a Member in 1944. He exhibited five times at the Royal Academy and his work can be found in collections across the UK and Europe.
