Henry Eric Bergman was born in Dresden, Germany in 1893 and started work at a commercial art studio at the age of 14. Bergman immigrated to Toronto around 1913 where he was hired by Brigden's Limited.

 

Shortly thereafter, Bergman joined Brigden's of Winnipeg as a wood and photo engraver. Bergman became deeply involved in the artistic and cultural life of the city. With the encouragement of Walter J. Phillips and Frederick Brigden, Bergman developed a serious interest in wood engraving and woodcut prints.

 

By the late 1920s Bergman turned his attention exclusively to wood engraving. The engravings of the 1930s show Bergman's consummate skill in the medium—his technical ability was impressive, his manner detailed and exquisite. During this period, Bergman found his themes primarily in the landscape, and in delicate plant studies. His botanical prints received recognition in Canada and abroad, and from the 1940s he did almost nothing else.

 

Henry Eric Bergman exhibited regularly with the Manitoba Society of Artists, the Royal Canadian Academy, and in most international print exhibitions that included Canadian artists. His work was also reproduced in special editions of The Studio in 1927 and 1930, and in 1947, his wood engravings were used to illustrate James A. Roy's book The Heart is Highland.