Laura Brandon was born in London, England in 1951 of Canadian parents. After graduating from the University of Bristol in 1973 in art history and history, she moved with her husband to Canada in 1976. They have lived in Toronto, Charlottetown, and Ottawa, which is now their home. They have three children. Laura has an MA in art history from Queen's (1992) and a PhD in history from Carleton (2002). She worked for 23 years at the Canadian War Museum as its Historian, Art and War. Currently she is an Adjunct Research Professor in the History and Art History Departments at Carleton University, Ottawa. She became a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.