Henry Hall Baily was born in Tasmania, son of John Richard Baily, steward to Bishop Francis Russell Nixon.

Baily went to England in 1861 and trained at the London School of Photography, returning to Tasmania in the mid 1860's.

A painter and professional photographer, Baily's most productive period was from 1861 through 1881. He advertised both photographic and oil portraits through the 1870s, and had significant acclaim at the Melbourne Intercolonial Exhibition and the New South Wales Academy of Art. Bailey exhibited in both Melbourne and Sydney while continuing to have a practice in Hobart, a practice his son, also called Henry, eventually took over.