Henry Eddowes Keene was born at Margaret Street, Cavendish Square, London on 6 November 1824 and baptised at St Mary’s Church, Marylebone Road, London on 1 December 1824, son of Samuel Browne Keene (17 December 1768-3 January 1838), who was a solicitor of 16 Furnival's Inn, London and at Ipswich, and his second wife Marynée Sparrowe (1796-1881), daughter of John Sparrowe (1754-1821) of the old Ipswich family of Sparrowe's House in the Buttermarket. A brother of the celebrated illustrator Charles Samuel Keene, Henry was educated at Miss Johnson's school in Queen's Road, Bayswater following that, at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (1833-1839), then in Foundation Street, Ipswich. Following his father's death in 1838, his mother removed to a smaller house in Ipswich then took a lease on a house in Lower Thames Street, London and in 1841, Henry was living with his widowed mother at Great Russell Street, London. From 1845 Henry pursued a commercial career with the London and Westminster Bank but was 64 years old before being made manager of the Bloomsbury branch. He devoted his leisure time to yachting and drawing but was overshadowed by his brother Charles. He married at St Barnabus Church, South Lambeth on 23 September 1863, Marian Hanby Robinson and in 1871 was living at 9 Portland Place, Hammersmith Road, Fulham with his 35-year-old wife and four children. Four more children were added over the next ten years. In 1888, when promoted to a bank manager, he moved to Bloomsbury where he retained four indoor servants. At the age of 74, he retired to the Manor House, Bramley, Guildford, Surrey where he was living in 1901 with his wife and seven unmarried children. Henry Eddowes Keene died at the Manor House on 19 January 1909, leaving £18,000, after which his wife and family continued to live there and where his 80-year-old wife died on 22 March 1916. His children had successful careers, Mary a violinist, Alfred a stock & share dealer, William a stock exchange clerk and Richard a bank clerk.