Born in Ohio in 1884, noted Illinois landscape artist, Carl Krafft, received his training at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Fine Arts Academy. He also took private lessons with Leon Kroll and Eugene Savage.

Krafft was the founder and first president of the Art League of Oak Park, Illinois, and the Society of Ozark Painters. He was known for his freely crafted impressionist landscapes. His ability to portray the climate and mood of his subjects with an expertly controlled palette reflect the technical soundness of this artist. He often painted crisp winter landscapes using a thick impasto, sometimes incorporating a horse-drawn sleigh and rural farm buildings into his compositions. Although many of his snow paintings resemble the Pennsylvania landscape and have a similar feel to those of his contemporary, Edward Redfield, most were painted in the Midwest where he resided.

Krafft did, in fact, visit New Hope in 1923, and possibly on other occasions. In a handwritten letter by Krafft, describing his painting, "Canal in Winter," he states, "This was painted in 1923, while visiting New Hope, Pennsylvania, a small town thirty miles north of Philadelphia. New Hope is an artist colony, home to Redfield, Garber and Spencer."

A selection of exhibitions in which he participated, include the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Academy of Design, the Carnegie Institute, the Corcoran Gallery Biennials and the Allied American Artists, among others. His paintings are in the permanent collections of more than two dozen museums and institutions nationwide.