Charles Leslie was a member of the Williams family of painters who were widely known during the 19th-century. His grandfather, Edward Williams (1781–1855), was an accomplished landscape painter and all six of his sons became artists.

Perhaps to differentiate himself, Charles opted to focus on the Scottish and Welsh moorlands where he produced a great deal of his work. His landscapes often portray stark mountains and still waters.

Leslie exhibited at the Royal Academy, the British Institution and the Royal Society of British Artists. He’s currently represented in several museums including the National Library of Wales, the Royal Holloway Museum at the University of London and the Victoria Museum and Gallery in Liverpool.