Henry Arthur McArdle, born in Belfast, Ireland on June 9, 1836, immigrated to the United States as a teenager and settled in Maryland. He studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

He served in the American Civil War as a Cartographer under General Robert E. Lee and later moved to Texas with new wife, Jennie Smith.

McArdle focused his artistry on depicting famous scenes from Texas history such as The Battle of the Wilderness with General Robert E. Lee and The Battle of the Alamo. While working on the paintings, McArdle would interview veterans from the battles and others with first hand knowledge of the historic events to better inform his pieces.

His most famous painting, The Battle of San Jacinto (1895), depicts Sam Houston during the Texas Revolutionary War. The original painting was destroyed by a fire at the Texas State Capitol. However, McArdle completed another smaller version in 1901 with the inclusion of more notable names like Davy Crockett, James Bowie, and William B. Traivs in the painting. This painting became lost in the later 1910s after reports of its demise in a house fire. Years later, the great great grandson of Henry McArdle discovered the painting intact in his grandparent's attic. Both paintings are now seated in the Senate Chamber of the Texas State Capitol building.

Henry Arthur McArlde died on June 18, 1907 in San Antonio.