Joseph Caraud was born at Cluny, Saone-et-Loire on January 5th 1821. He was a painter of genre scenes, studying under Abel de Pujol and Charles Louis Muller.

Caraud produced many delightful scenes of Victorian life, indoors, in gardens and set in landscapes. Like many others, he also catered for that almost limitless Victorian appetite for scenes in eighteenth century or Regency dress. Caraud preferred his interiors to landscapes, usually with figures, and liked his rooms lit only by limited sources of light. He favoured warm colours, enhanced by his clever use of glazes, and certainly possessed an unrivalled eye for detail.

Caraud won several medals for his work including 3rd class in 1859, 2nd class in 1861 and 1863 and legion of honour in 1867, some of his pictures have been engraved.