Edward Goodall was born in Wells, Somerset, in 1909. He visited Canada in the early 1930's, and returned in 1935, first to Vancouver, then Alberta before getting married and settling in Victoria as a commercial artist. He wrote to the Illustrated London News asking if they wanted any events in British Columbia covered, and mentioned that his grandfather had done illustrations for the ILN of the Crimean War. His first assignment was the aluminium smelter at Kitimat, followed by sketches of famous Canadian universities and schools, Royal Canadian Navy cruises to San Francisco, Southern California and the Hawaiian Islands. He has done watercolours for one of the biggest greeting card firms in North America, as well as other commissions. In March 1947 The Graduate Chronicle featured a sketch of the University Library by "Ted" Goodall. The Chronicle had commissioned this sketch, and readers were invited to purchase 8 x 5 inch prints from the UBC Alumni Association (March 1947, cover and page 9).