[1] Wheeler was the son of a journalist and was born in Codsall, Staffordshire, and raised in nearby Wolverhampton.

The possibility that the painting might leave Britain caused a public outcry and eventually it was sold to the National Gallery.

[4] From 1942 to 1949, he served as a trustee of the Tate Gallery and in 1946 was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission.

Due to material shortages and other issues, Wheeler produced only three bronze figures during the commission period.

In 1968, Charles Wheeler moved to a little Sussex farmhouse to evade the noise of constructions near their previous dwelling.