自画像（1914年）斯坦利斯宾塞出生在伯克希尔，威廉和安娜卡罗琳斯宾塞（姓）的第八孩子。他的父亲，是一名音乐老师和教堂的管风琴。斯坦利的弟弟，吉尔伯特·斯宾塞（1892年至1979年），也成了一位著名的艺术家，主要是为他的风景画。家宅，“Fernlea”，在高的Cookham街，已被斯宾塞的祖父朱利叶斯·斯宾塞建成。斯坦利斯宾塞是在家里接受教育由他的妹妹安妮和佛罗伦萨，因为他的父母不得不对当地公立学校的保留，但买不起私立教育他。不过，吉尔伯特和Stanley了从本地的艺术家，多萝西·贝利借鉴。最终，吉尔伯特被送到梅登黑德一所学校，但他的家人并不觉得这将是斯坦利，谁是发展为提供给散步一个孤独的少年有益的，但与绘画的热情。帕斯宾塞走近当地地主，勋爵和夫人波士顿咨询和波士顿夫人同意士丹利可能会花时间每星期与她画画。1907年波士顿夫人安排士丹利出席梅登技术学院，他的父亲坚持他不应该采取任何考试。 

从1908年到1912年，斯宾塞就读于美术学院斯莱德在伦敦大学学院，在亨利·唐克斯等。他在斯莱德同时代包括多拉卡林顿，麦克斯韦戈登·莱特富特，马克·格特勒，保罗·纳什，爱德华·沃兹沃斯，艾萨克·罗森伯格和大卫邦贝里。因此，深刻的是他的依恋的Cookham，大多数日子里，他将坐火车回老家时喝茶。它甚至成了他的绰号：他的同学克里斯托弗RW Nevinson尊称他的Cookham，其中斯宾塞自己拿了使用了一段时间的名称[5]虽然在Slade，斯宾塞结盟有，昙花一现，组谁称自己为“新基元”，这是在邦贝里和中心的威廉·罗伯茨。 

1912年斯宾塞展出绘画约翰·多恩在天堂抵达了英国部分和部分图纸二后印象派展览举办罗杰·弗莱在伦敦。同年，他画的诞生。为他赢得一个斯莱德创作奖，他也开始画苹果收集者，这是在第一次当代艺术协会展览中包括了下一年。在1914年完成斯宾塞撒迦利亚和伊丽莎白和百夫长的仆人。后者的画从自己的苗圃功能不仅斯宾塞自己作为仆人，也是他的兄弟在床上。 他也开始了一幅自画像作品。自画像（1914年）在紫藤庐，一个被漆成腐烂的乔治亚风格的建筑斯宾塞租来的，从在Cookham当地的煤商，用作工作室。用镜子彩绘，画的是大胆而严肃，有直接和穿透力的目光，通过在右侧的很深的阴影软化-头部填充画面空间，是画一个半倍放大。 苹果采集已经由艺术家买下亨利羔羊，谁及时把它卖给了艺术收藏家爱德华·马什。马什后来买自画像，并认为它是“精湛......天才的光辉。”
 

Self portrait (1914) Stanley Spencer was born in Berkshire, the eighth child of William and Anna Caroline Spencer. His father was a music teacher and church organ. Stanley's brother, Gilbert Spencer (1892-1979), also became a famous artist, mainly for his landscape paintings. The house, "fernlea", in the high Cookham street, has been built by Spencer's grandfather Julius Spencer. Stanley Spencer was educated at home by his sister Anne and Florence, because his parents had to keep the local public schools, but could not afford private education for him. But Gilbert and Stanley borrowed from the local artist, Dorothy Bailey. Eventually, Gilbert was sent to a school in Maidenhead, but his family didn't feel that it would be Stanley, who was developing a passion for providing a walk for a lonely teenager, but with painting. Paspinser approached the local landlord, and the Lord and Madame Boston consulted and the Madame Boston agreed that Stanley might spend time painting with her every week. In 1907, Mrs. Boston arranged for Stanley to attend the Meden Institute of technology. His father insisted that he should not take any examinations.

From 1908 to 1912, Spencer studied at the Academy of fine arts Slade at University College London, Henry Tonks, etc. His contemporaries in Slade included Dora Carrington, Maxwell Gordon letterfoot, mark Guttler, Paul Nash, Edward Wordsworth, Isaac Rosenberg and David bonberry. So, deep down is his attachment to Cookham, most days, he will take the train back home to drink tea. It even became his nickname: his classmate Christopher RW Nevinson honored him as Cookham, in which Spencer himself took the name that used for a period of time  , although in Slade, Spencer alliance had a flash in the pan, group who called themselves "new primitives", this was William Roberts in Bunbury and center.

In 1912 Spencer exhibited John Donne's paintings in heaven and arrived in England part and part of the drawings II after the Impressionist Exhibition hosted by Roger Fry in London. In the same year, his paintings were born. Winning him a Slade Award for creative work, he also began painting Apple collectors, which included the next year in the first Contemporary Art Association Exhibition. In 1914 Spencer Zacharias and Elizabeth and centurion's servants were completed. The latter painting from its own nursery functions not only as Spencer himself as a servant, but also as his brother in bed. He also started a self portrait. Self portrait (1914) in wisteria, a Georgian style building painted rotten, rented by Spencer from a local coal merchant in Cookham, used as a studio. With the mirror painting, the painting is bold and serious, with direct and penetrating vision, softened by the deep shadow on the right - the head fills in the picture space, which is one and a half times larger than the painting. Apple collection has been bought by artist Henry lamb, who promptly sold it to art collector Edward marsh. Marsh later bought a self portrait and thought it was "the brilliance of the exquisite... The genius."