[1] Although Soper had little or no formal training as an artist he began working as an illustrator in Ramsgate, where he became friends with Frank Short, a civil engineer and member of South Kensington School of Art.
Soper quickly developed a reputation as an expert artist and printmaker, and began illustrating for books and magazines.
By the 1920s, he had developed a recognisable and varied set of skills covering watercolours,[2] wood cutting, engraving, etching[3] and drypoint and had dedicated his art to capturing the lives of manual workers, including farmers, fisherman and shepherds.
Soper married Ada in 1897 and the couple moved to Harmer Green, near Welwyn in Hertfordshire[4] where he built a house, later known as Wilding.
She had been taught by her father, showed flair and talent in etching, and when 15 became the youngest artist ever to exhibit at the Royal Academy.