Henry Winter Hendley the son of John Walter Hendley, was born on May 6, 1879 in Washington, D. C.. Henry studied art under the direction of his father J. W. Hendley and Sculptor T. A. Mills as well as with the Corcoran School of Art. The Congressional Record notes that Hendley worked at the Smithsonian Institution from 1901 to 1913. He was promoted to the position of departmental preparator in 1902. Hendley was the first departmental preparator who reported directly to the curator of the newly formed Department of Anthropology. He was the first head of what was referred to by 1908 as the Anthropological Laboratory. As the head preparator he was strongly encouraged to develop his skills in modeling and worked extensively on lay-figure groups (mannequins) at the Museum. He even prepared a mounted Eskimo figure for the Peabody Museum in 1903. Over the years his specialized skills were frequently requested by other departments to help in their work.

By 1910 the Anthropological Laboratory was located in a roomy space in the new museum building, now known as the National Museum of Natural History. The scope of the work undertaken by the laboratory staff was tremendous. At this point in time Hendley worked on anthropology collections that included paintings and fine arts later transferred to other departments and museums. The 1910 curatorial report is an example of the wide range of the work. It states that Hendley's primary tasks were modeling and casting, including busts, fossils, medals and archeological objects. In the same year the laboratory also repaired and otherwise cared for the numerous lay-figures and lay-figure groups. His work was appreciated outside the Smithsonian Institution and a newspaper article of the period describes H. W. Hendley as the presiding genius of his shop at the Museum with skills to make exact replicas of museum objects and the ability to make perfect plaster casts of the faces of Native Americans visiting Washington. The article also discusses Hendley's innovative work using a new "paraffine" process for casting delicate objects.

Hendley resigned from his position on July 19, 1913 to accept a more lucrative position, according to curatorial records. However, he returned on contract to do modeling of lay figures. Hendley continued to work in the Washington D.C. area. He worked as a scientific illustrator for the Bureau of Public Roads for 35 years making models of bridges and highways. He received the silver medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 for his exhibit of Yosemite Valley. He also won honors at other fairs and expositions including the New York World's Fair. A Washington Post article of 1931 celebrated his artistry and wrote that he was an expert in anthropology and ethnology and had modeled many of the Indian figures at the National Museum. Recent communication with the Hendley family has provided additional information about Henry Hendley's life. His daughter, Edith Avis, has memories of her father and his work for the Museum at his home and workshop in Clarendon, Virginia. She remembers him speaking of his work on the life size diorama entitled, Capt. John Smith Trading with Powhatan Indians, only recently removed from display at the Museum. At his home workshop, he also worked on the mannequins of the Presidents' wives using Mrs. Hendley's hands as a model. His home was also visited by Native Americans while he painted their portraits. Hendley enjoyed sculpting and painting in his retirement and his family has kept some of his oil paintings and carvings. Henry Hendley died on February 26, 1954 and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia.