Theodor von Holst was the second son of Matthias Holst and Katherine Rogge, and was born in London in 1810.  Theodor was a gifted artist and sold his first work at the age of 10.  He went on to train at the Royal Academy of Art.
Theodor worked as a painter in London, producing many dark and mysterious paintings featuring mythical characters.  However, in order to afford to live, Theodor also painted conventional portraits of wealthy people.

Theodor was extremely close to his older brother Gustavus and his sister Constantia, and the three often wrote joint letters to their parents.  Theodor painted portraits of his brother and sister, including a self portrait with Gustavus.

Throughout his short life, Theodor struggled to find commercial success for his paintings.  However, after his death from liver failure at the age of 33, a number of his paintings were permanently displayed in a restaurant in the West End of London.  This restaurant was frequently visited by a group of young artists who admired von Holst’s paintings, and who went on to form The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, an important movement in nineteenth century art.