Walter Hunt was born into a family of painters. His father, Charles, was a genre artist (a painter of everyday scenes) and his brother Edgar was well-known for his paintings of animals. So, too, was Walter Hunt an animal painter, best known for his paintings of farmyard scenes. He began painting when he was thirteen years old.
Hunt lived in Wandsworth, South West London. He exhibited his works at the Royal Academy beginning in 1881 when he was twenty years old, and also exhibited at the Royal Society of Artists and at the Walker Gallery. His painting, The Dog In The Manger, was purchased by Chantrey Bequest in 1885.He died in 1941.