Fortunino Matania was born in Naples in 1881. By the age of twenty he was working in Paris and soon afterwards moned to London where he was appointed as an illustrator with The Graphic. After three years in England he had to go back to Italy to do his national military service.

After completing his military duties Matania returned to England where he was employed by The Sphere. King George V was impressed with Mantania's work and invited him to cover his tour of India.

During the First World War Mantania was employed by the Ministry of Propaganda. He visited the Western Front several times and his drawings of the conflict appeared in The Illustrated London News and the French journal, L'Illustration.

Fortunino Matania died in 1963.