Born in York, by the age of 22 Pinkney was living in Keswick and working as a draper’s assistant. He subsequently was in business for himself as an upholsterer in Keswick. By 1921 Pinkney and his family were living in Oxford (where his wife came from) and she was running a boarding house for university students while Pinkney was described as ‘Artist (Landscape) - own account’.