Denys George Wells was a still life and figure painter who was born in Bedford. He studied at the Slade School and in Paris in 1910 became a member of the Royal Society of British Artists. In 1914 he joined the Artist's Rifles and served in France for the duration of the first world war. During the second world war he was an air-raid warden, and was awarded the Empire Medal for his bravery. He is best remembered for his images of a changing London and is known as 'The Recorder of London'.