Charles Bartlett was born in Bridgeport, Dorsetshire in England. He first intended to make a career in metallurgy, but Charles soon dedicated himself instead to his studies in painting and etching at the Royal Academy in London. In 1913 Bartlett began a journey that was intended to take him and his wife around the world. Along their journey, they visited Pakistan, India, Ceylon, Indonesia and China and Bartlett created some of his finest work in watercolors and sketches. Bartlett and his wife would never return to their native England, deciding instead to settle along their journey in Hawaii. He fast gained international acclaim as a very skilled artist who blended traditional style and modern techniques and many of his sketches were reprinted in Japan and abroad.