John Doman Turner was a deaf British artist, born in Brixton, Lambeth. He worked as a stockbroker's clerk in London. After being introduced by art critic Frank Rutter, who described Turner as 'an amateur with a remarkable gift for watercolour', he received artistic training from Spencer Gore. Between 1908 and 1913, Turner would send Gore his drawings and, in return for 5 shillings, Gore would respond with letters critiquing Turner's work. Turner was also a pupil of Walter Sickert, after Gore recommended he attend Whistler’s evening classes at Westminster School of Art in 1908. Turner became a founder member of the Camden Town Group – 16 prolific artists that held just three exhibitions from 1911 to 1912. They aimed to reflect the realities of modern urban life in their work, and this proved to be a distinctive period in the history of British art before the First World War.