Carlsen was best known for his virtuosic still life paintings produced around the turn of the century. He was born and raised in Denmark and studied architecture at the Royal Academy in Copenahagen, before he moved to the United States in 1872. He settled in Chicago, working as an architect's assistant and studying painting with Danish marine artist Lauritz Holst. He traveled to Paris for further study in 1875 and developed an interest in the work of still life painter Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779). He spent time in New York and Paris before moving to San Francisco to work as director of the California School of Design. He returned to New York in 1891 where he taught at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
