baumer was born at st john's wood, london, england, and had studied at the st john's wood art school under a. a. calderon, at the royal academy of arts, and at the royal college of art. his first drawings appeared in the "pall mall" magazine in 1893; in 1897, his first cartoon in "punch" appeared. in 1921, he was elected a member of the royal institute of painters in water colours.