Stanley Roy Badmin, known professionally as S. R. Badmin, was born in Sydenham in 1906, the son of Charles James Badmin and Margaret Badmin. He studied at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and later at the Royal College of Art in London. At just 26, he became one of the youngest associate members of the Royal Watercolour Society. He also taught at several London art schools, including the Central School of Art in the 1950s.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Badmin was living in Lewisham and working as an art teacher. During the war he worked for the Ministry of Information before serving in the Royal Air Force.
Badmin worked mainly in watercolour and was celebrated for his detailed yet atmospheric depictions of the English rural landscape, particularly trees. Influenced by neo-romantic artists, he gained wide recognition through book illustration and advertising. Notable commissions included Puffin Books and the Shell Guides, as well as posters for London Transport and British Railways.