Born in Cairo, Illinois, Hart left home at the age of 18 traveling to London by cattle boat. After his London sojourn, Hart returned to Chicago where he took work as a sign painter and attended the Art Institute of Chicago. Always nomadic in nature Hart travelled constantly to the four corners of the globe. He often generated needed income by falling back on his sign painting skills. In 1918 he had his first one person show at Knoedler Gallery in New York. In 1917, Hart and fellow artist Jules Pascin shared a Vieux Carre apartment in New Orleans, a city that was to inspire a few notable lithographs and many brilliant watercolors. He had numerous friends in the artistic community and was twice elected as President of the Brooklyn Society of Etchers. Hart's major works were almost always in the print, pastel and watercolor media.