Elias Martin (1739–1818)

• Was a Swedish genre, history, and landscape painter and engraver from Stockholm
• Martin's father was a carpenter.
• Martin was interested in art, and decided to become an apprentice of the Swedish court painter Friedrich Schultz.
• During his time with Schultz, he was hired by the naval architect Fredrik Henrik af Chapman to design ship ornaments.
• This job led to an acquaintanceship with Augustin Ehrensvärd, a lieutenant colonel in the artillery and a painter, who brought Martin to the sea fortress of Sveaborg and encouraged him to pursue his painting.

• Martin stayed at Sveaborg, an island fortress near Helsinki, for two years and painted several paintings of the fortress.

• In May 1766, Martin travelled to Le Havre and Paris in France where he mostly worked on his own.

• Finding that he did not wish to follow French classicism, he moved to London.

• He probably studied at the Royal Academy soon after it was founded in 1768; he exhibited two drawings and two paintings there in 1769.

• In 1781 he earned a membership at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, and a year later he travelled to Sweden.

• Martin stayed in Stockholm for several years, creating paintings, drawings, and engravings to order.

• In 1788 Martin once again travelled to England, where he first stayed in London and then in Bath.

• In the summer of 1791 he was recalled to Sweden by King Gustav III.

• Martin died in Stockholm on 25 January 1818.
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