Charlton was born near York in the north of England and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1927.

[2] The couple settled in Hampstead in north London and the area became a frequent subject of her paintings.

[1] Among her fellow students at the Slade was Mary Adshead, who painted a notable portrait of Charlton in 1935.

[2] Beginning in 1939, Charlton had an affair with Stanley Spencer after the breakdown of his second marriage and she appeared in several of his paintings, including The Woolshop and the double portrait On the Tiger Rug.

[3][4] Spencer painted several other portraits of Charlton, including the 1940 picture, now in the Tate, Daphne with her wearing a fashionable hat he bought for the sittings.