Carl Larsson (1853-1919) was born into a poor family in Stockholm, Sweden. He was accepted to the Stockholm Academy of Fine Arts at the age of thirteen and spent several years working as a newspaper and magazine illustrator. He moved to Paris, where, as a penniless artist, he met his wife Karin, also an artist. In 1888 they moved back to Sundborn in Sweden. Carl Larsson is best known for his lovely watercolour paintings of his home and family which were popularised through a series of books.