Lionel Walden went to work in Paris, in the studio of Carolus-Duran. After initially painting landscapes with Impressionist light effects, he gave his subjects a more naturalistic structure. He exhibited at the Salon of the Société des Artistes Français, where he received an honourable mention in 1899 and a third-class medal in 1903. He won a silver medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 and was decorated with the Légion d'Honneur in 1910.