C.J. Way was an English artist who travelled to North America to discover scenery for his landscape and seascape paintings. Besides scenic views of Canada and the United States, his subjects included England, Wales, Italy and the Swiss Alps. Initially a watercolour artist, he began to work in oils in the 1870s. Way studied at Somerset House in London, and continued his training at the Central School of Art. In 1858 he graduated as an artist and instructor, and later that year he moved to Montreal. There he worked for William Notman as a colourist, and also established a studio where he taught drawing and painting. He also assisted in the foundation of the Art Association of Montreal, and served as President of the Society of Canadian Artists in 1870.

In the spring of 1873 when there was a smallpox outbreak in Montreal, Way and his family travelled to London, England and then, in 1874, they settled in Switzerland. Despite living abroad, Way was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts RCA) in 1880; he was considered a charter member of the newly formed RCA, and was an honorary non-resident member. Though permanently settled in Switzerland, Way continued to send paintings for exhibition at the Royal Canadian Academy and the Art Association of Montreal, and in 1898 he was commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railroad to paint a series of Canadian landscapes.