Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the son of a police superintendent, was born in Glasgow on 7th June, 1868. He was educated at the Allan Glen's School before starting his architectural apprenticeship. He attended evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art and in 1889 joined the firm of Honeymen and Kepple.

Although Mackintosh's architectural output was fairly small he had a considerable influence on European design. Especially popular in Austria and Germany, Mackintosh's work was highly acclaimed when it was shown at the Vienna Secession Exhibition in 1900. It was also exhibited in Budapest, Munich, Dresden, Venice and Moscow.

An outstanding exponent of the Art Nouveau style, Mackintosh was responsible for the Glasgow School of Art (1897-99), its library block (1907-09), the Cranston Tearooms and Hill House in Helensburgh. His work, often done with his wife, Margaret Macdonald, included interior design, textiles, furniture and metalwork.

In 1914 Mackintosh and left Scotland and afterwards did no more major architectural work. While in London he designed fabrics, book covers and furniture. He moved to France in 1923 and over the next four years produced a series of beautiful watercolours. Charles Rennie Mackintosh died in 1928.