A native of Canada, Leslie James Skelton studied in Paris during the mid 1880s and, not long after, he moved to Colorado, settling in Colorado Springs. In 1900, he organized the opening exhibition of the gallery at Colorado College.

In 1903, sixteen of his paintings were reproduced as post cards and over five million were sold.

During his career, Skelton exhibited in a number of places including, New York, London, Paris and Montreal.