Edward Robert Hughes (1851-1914) was a nephew of Arthur Hughes, and a studio assistant to William Holman Hunt. He helped Hunt with some of his later work, including the St Paul's version of The Light of the World.

Hughes began his career among the Pre-Raphaelites, and like Edward Burne-Jones with whom he was acquainted, he inclined towards Symbolism. However, the majority of Hughes' work, carried out mainly in watercolour/gouache, displays the meticulous observation of nature and minute technique associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement.