Franz Eybl was a 19th century Austrian portrait painter and lithographer, who was born in the outskirts of Vienna in an area known as Gumpendorf. Eybl showed artistic talent at an early age and entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna at the young age of ten. He began his studies under masters Josef Klieber and Josef Mossmer. After a few years, Eybl began to study under Johann Baptist von Lampi and Franz Caucig. Eybl received a formal education, reproducing casts of statues, a common practice in art academies of the day. While Eybl learned a variety of techniques, he excelled at history painting, which he studied under Johann Peter Krafft.

In 1825, the Academy awarded the Gundel Prize, and in 1828, he won the Lampi prize. These awards mark Eybl’s high status as a student and painter. In 1830, a few years after leaving the Academy, Eybl married Antonia Jordan and began a successful career as a portrait, landscape and history painter. In addition to painting, Eybl produced a number of lithographs and drawings that demonstrate his thorough training and mastered skills. Eybl is believed to have made over four hundred lithographs, on par with the prolific artist, Josef Kriehuber.