Born in Ottumwa, Iowa, studied at the Chicago Art Institute and later at the Art Student League in New York with George Bridgman.
Chambers divided his time almost equally between editorial and advertising assignments, including a series of portraits of musicians for Steinway & Sons; and, outdoor posters, notably for Chesterfield and Palmolive Soap. He illustrated stories in most of the major magazines, for such authors as Pearl Buck, Louis Bromfield, Faith Baldwin, and W. Somerset Maugham; worked under exclusive contract for Cosmopolitan magazine for many years.
Among his numerous awards was the second Altman Prize at the National Academy of Design Exhibition in 1931, for his portrait of watercolorist and fellow-illustrator, John Alonzo Williams.
