Edgar Payne was born near Washburn, Missouri in 1883. He was from a farming family and from an early age had to work long hours on the farm. This was not an existence he enjoyed and by the age of 14 he had left home with the desire to make his living as an artist.

He began his career by traveling the countryside designing and painting scenery for the stage and murals for homes and theaters. He ended up for a time in Texas and then in Chicago. Primarily a self-taught artist, he studied for a very brief period at the Art Institute in Chicago.

In 1909 Payne made his first trip to California, spending time in Laguna Beach and in San Francisco. In San Francisco he met Elsie Palmer, also an artist. Their romance took hold later when they were both working in Chicago, and they married in 1912. In 1919 they moved to Laguna Beach and set up their home and studio.

It is Payne's work of the High Sierras for which he is best known. Payne rarely dated any of his paintings but a rough chronology can sometimes be determined by the change from his early subdued tones, with careful brushstrokes, to his later style with bold, broader and looser brushstrokes.

Edgar Payne died in Hollywood in 1947.