Printmaker George Biddle, born in comfortable surroundings in Philadelphia, received his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard university, but abruptly changed course when he left for Paris and the Académie Julian in 1911, where he formed a long and influential friendship with Mary Cassatt.

Back in the United States, Biddle studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and then returned to Europe in 1914, where he traveled and studied widely. His wartime service, followed by extensive travel, broadened his viewpoint and informed his accessible artistic style. He was a strong advocate for the establishment of the Federal Arts Project, under whose auspices he executed a mural for the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. in addition to numerous other commissions.

During World War II, Biddle served as Chairman of War Department's Art Advisory Committee and traveled throughout North Africa; he subsequently produced combat art for Life Magazine. In the postwar period, Biddle served on the U. S. Commission on Fine Arts. He died at Croton-on-Hudson, New York.