Anna Airy

Anna Airy studied at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London from 1899-1903, specializing in portraits and genre and floral pictures. Her works are exhibited at the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Imperial War Museum. She was one of the first women officially commissioned as a war artist in World War I, and was the granddaughter of famous astronomer George Biddell Airy.

The title of the painting The Lucky Tipster was later changed to The Half-Wit and then to The Happy Nit-Wit. It was painted in oil on canvas measuring 92.5 x 73.6 cm. It is possible that the reference to sports was initially only made by the title, but was lost through the renaming.