Born in Glasgow, he studied initially at the Glasgow School of Art under Newbery.  At the age of 18 he went to the Slade for five years under Brown, Tonks and Wilson Steer, winning a scholarship and prizes for head and figure painting. For many years he assisted Gerald Moira in mural decoration work in a number of important buildings, such as Lloyds and the Central Criminal Courts, and was in charge of women artists who decorated the first Wembley Exhibition restaurants. In 1894 his address was in London, and in 1911 at Weston Turville nr Aylesbury.

In 1922 he was appointed Principal of the Reigate and Redhill School of Arts and Crafts, a position he retained for 18 years. However, he paid regular visits to Cornwall as the titles of his 1930s exhibition pieces show, and he acted as Temporary Headmaster at the Penzance School of Art in 1941 upon the sudden death of James W LIAS; he was then superseded within the year by the appointment of Edward Bouverie HOYTON to the post.

He settled in St Ives during WWII, living at Lyonesse, Talland Road at the time of his 1944 RA exhibition, but moved with his wife, an accomplished weaver, and elderly sister Marjorie Brown to nearby Carbis Bay in 1946. Mrs Todd Brown was partly responsible for the creation of the Cornwall League of Spinners, Dyers and Weavers.  He moved to Torquay in 1950, and died there in 1952.