Edgar Duchin was born in Paddington, London on 3 September 1909 into a Jewish family; his father (originally Duschinsky) was a German-speaking Hungarian emigre, who came to England, c. 1905; his mother lost her British nationality upon her marriage. During the First World War, they were declared 'enemy aliens', but Duchin's father obtained exemption from internment. Edgar Duchin trained for the law at Oxford and practised first as a solicitor, taking to painting later in life. He was Founder Chairman of the Solicitors Art Group. He exhibited with the Margaret Fisher Gallery in 1987. He died in London, England on 20 May 1991. His oral testimony is held in the British Library.