Francis King-Wainwright was from a prominent Philadelphia main line family. He graduated from Princeton in 1899 and joined the family company, Penn Chemical Works. His house in Bryn Mawr is an architectural marvel which later served as the home of Comcast president and Philadelphia Flyers founder Ed Snyder.

The F. King-Wainwright Collection was sold by Harmer, Rooke and Co. of London on March 23, 1939.