Born in Wales in 1901, Matthew (Taffy) Whippman moved to South Africa in 1920 and settled in Johannesburg via the Eastern Cape. Whippman painted during his free time but in 1929, on the advice of Prof FW Armstrong from Wits Tech, he turned to etching. However, he returned to painting in 1935 and began framing his works at Rand Picture Framers. Ten years later, Whippman bought Rand Picture Framers