Henry Arnold was born in Paris in 1879 of Alsatian parents. He began his career as an ornamentalist, participating in the construction of the Petit Palais, before entering the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1898.
He exhibited at the Salon d'Automne and the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and met Lucien Schnegg and his famous "bande", whom he joined alongside Despiau, Drivier and Dejean.
One of his works, Première Offrande, was exhibited at the Salon des Tuileries and acquired by the French state.