Born in Bogense, Norway on Aug. 20, 1848. An itinerant artist, Holst was active in California in 1869-70. The local press called him "an Eastern artist of much talent" who arrived "with the highest recommendations from prominent citizens of Chicago." His assistant in Chicago was Emil Carlsen who cleaned brushes in exchange for lessons. While in California, Holst painted along the Monterey coast, the Golden Gate, Clear Lake, and the Sierra. Exh: Royal Academy (London), 1878.

Laurits Bernard Holst was a marine painter who received an appointment as the Tsar's marine painter in 1890. He received several commissions from European royal families and became well known in England as a marine painter. He made numerous trips to northern France, Gibraltar, North Africa, Egypt, Madeira, and Italy. Sources for this information include Weilbach, Thieme-Becker, and Vollmer.