Lionel Taprell was an Australian artist born in Paddington, Sydney, in 1915. During the Second World War he served with the Australian Imperial Force in New Guinea, working in a mobile map-making unit. After the war he built a career in the printing and visual arts industry, becoming a printmaker at Hollander & Govett in Edgecliff, Sydney. The firm specialised in large 24-sheet posters, produced using hand lithography, a demanding and highly skilled process involving zinc plates and offset presses.

Alongside his professional print work, Taprell taught art privately and continued to paint throughout his life. His work was traditional in approach and included oils and watercolours, although he worked mainly in watercolour. He painted a broad range of subjects, including landscapes, city views and portraits.

Taprell’s work gained recognition during his lifetime. He was accepted into the Archibald Prize in 1946 and the Wynne Prize in 1962. He died in 1986.