Holland had initial training at Hatherly's School of Art in London. From 1872 he began his studies at the Royal Academy in London and continued his studies at the Academie Julian in Paris. He was an exponent of plein-air painting, and painted atmospheric, naturalistic landscape and genre pictures. He mainly worked at his country estate of East Ashling House near Chichester but had several stays on Capri. Holland took part regularly in exhibitions at the Royal Academy during the years of 1875-1906 and also exhibited occasionally in the Paris Salon from 1897 to 1905.