Josef Theodor Hansen was born in Randers 1848. The Danish painter and illustrator studied from 1869-76 at the Art Academy in Copenhagen. Inspired by his predecessors from the Golden Age of Danish painting like Kobke, Rorbye and Eckersberg, Hansen traveled throughout Europe painting the grand interiors he encountered on his visit. His interiors and city scapes, covered in the annual exhibitions in Charlottenborg, received special attention. Josef Hansen passed away in 1912.