Alfred William Strutt was born in Tanaraki, New Zealand, the son of the English artist William Strutt (1825-1915). His grandfather was the miniaturist William Thomas Strutt (1777-1850) and his great-grandfather was Joseph Strutt (1742-1802) a social historian and artist. His sisters Rosa and Laura were also artists. His father had moved to Australia in 1850 and then to New Zealand in 1855, where he recorded the early days of the British colony.

Alfred and his family returned to England in 1862 where he studied at the South Kensington School of Art. He also received tuition from his father. Strutt began exhibiting at the Royal Academy from 1877 and also at the Royal Society of British Artists from around this date. He lived with his parents at 3 Bedford Place, Croydon during the late 1870's before moving to Motynden, near Staplehurst Kent from 1880. However, by 1884 he was back in London at Augustine Terrace, Brook Green, Kensington where he kept a studio with his father.

He became a member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1888 and an associate member of the Royal Society of Painters and Etchers in 1889. He was also a member of the Royal Cambrian Academy and also the Royal British Colonial Society of Artists. He married Nellie Maria Ketchlee on 1 August, 1891 and they moved to East Sussex where they lived at Rhosilli, Wadhurst. From around 1911 he lived at Afterglow, Best Beech Hill, Wadshurst. He died at Hammersmith Hospital on 8 March 1924.

Like his father, he specialised in genre scenes, often including animals as well as sporting scenes. Strutt’s paintings are well executed and full of humour. In this particular painting he returns to one of his favourite subjects of hunters startling a lady in her carriage.
A photograph of him by Disdéri (c1880) is held by the National Portrait Gallery. Examples of his work can be found at the Grundy Art Gallery, Hastings Museum, Nuneaton Museum and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.