Walter Armiger Bowring was born in Auckland in 1874. He illustrated New Zealand's involvement in the South African War. He was an illustrator for the Christchurch Press, and a cartoonist and painter in oil and watercolour of historical subjects and portraits.

Armiger applied to become the official war artist in 1918, but was later commissioned to paint a First World War Victoria Cross portrait. A number of his other war related paintings were also purchased by the New Zealand Government.

Bowring died in Sydney, NSW in 1931.