Jack Crabtree was born in Rochdale in 1938. He studied at Rochdale College of Art from 1955 to 1957 before going on to St Martin’s College of Art and the Royal Academy Schools in London. In 1974 Jack Crabtree was commissioned by the National Coal Board to document the life and conditions of miners in the coal fields of South Wales. This work was continued through the Gregynog Arts Fellowship from the University of Wales.