Career
He is best known as the painter of a portrait of Mary Seacole in 1869, when she was around 65 years old. The rediscovery of the portrait was announced in January 2005, and it is held by the National Portrait Gallery. Born in Islington, the 1871 United Kingdom census shows Challen living in Hammersmith, with his profession given as "art student (painting)".
By the 1881 census, he was living in Camberwell, and was a "practising artist".
Challen died at the age of 34 on 1 September 1881 in Camberwell, Surrey.