Salomon van Abbé was born into a family of Jewish diamond dealers in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 31 July 1883 and came to England with his family in 1888. Salomon went on to study at the Central School of Arts and worked initially as a newspaper illustrator, later becoming a portraitist. He illustrated numerous books and made etchings of court settings, occasionally using the pseudonym 'C. Morse'. He died in London, England 28 February 1955.