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James Hayllar was born in Chichester in 1829, and after overcoming family opposition enrolled at Cary's Art School in 1842. He is now principally remembered as tutor to Rossetti and Millais. On completing his studies, Hayllar made a tour of the continent, where he encountered Leighton in Rome in 1851. On his return, Hayllar exhibited at the Royal Academy literary and historical genre. However in 1866 he started a series of hugely popular genre paintings of children. The first of these was Miss Lily's Carriage stops the Way. This was followed by The First Flirtation and The Return from the Ball. the present watercolour is a particularly fine example of the artist's work in watercolur. After these successes he was proposed as an Associate of the Royal Academy by William Powell Frith (1819-1909) and Eyre Crowe (1824-1910), but he missed election by one vote and never tried again. Not being part of the Academy circle he withdrew from London life, and took large houses in the country. In 1865 he submitted pictures to the Academy from Carlton Rookery, near Saxmundham in Suffolk, while a decade later he moved to Castle Priory, on the banks of the Thames, near Wallingford in Berkshire. He was to live there until after the death of his wife, and his move to Bournemouth in 1899.

Five members of the Hayllar family exhibited at the Royal Academy towards the end of the century. In addition to producing a son who was an engraver, James produced four remarkable daughters, each of whom he taught. Examples of their work can be seen in the catalogue of The Forbes Collection of Victorian Pictures and Works of Art; Christie's, London, 19 and 20 February 2003, lots 104, 262, 263, 267.