Emil Österman was a visual artist and prominent portrait painter born in 1870 in Västra Vingåker, Södermanland. He was the twin brother of Gustav Bernhard Österman who was also a portrait painter. He was educated at The Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm from 1890–1893. There he won the royal medal for the painting "Fersen's Murder." He continued his studies in France, Italy, and Spain between 1894–1899.
    He was primarily a portrait and genre painter. The artist was close with both King Oskar II and King Gustaf V and did multiple paintings, drawings and etchings of each. Other notable portraits in prominent collections include Professor Alfred Bergström in 1896, "Old wife," from 1899, Alfred Nobel in 1900, visual artist Edward Rosenberg in 1901, visual artist Reinhold Norstedt in 1902, the artist's wife in 1906, Professor Carl Curman in 1908, Prime Minister Arvid Lindman in 1909, Count Fredrik Wachtmeister in 1916, Mjölkcentralen's  Managing Director Fredrik Benzinger in 1918, and portrait of the Swedish geographer and topographer Sven Hedin in 1923.
    Österman became a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1900, an extra teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1902, and deputy professor in 1914. He served as Sweden's official Commissioner at art exhibitions in Munich in 1905, 1909 and 1913, as well as in Vienna in 1910 and Brighton in 1911.

     He participated in many international exhibitions after 1900 including the Venice Biennale in 1901 and 1926, the Schulte Exhibition of 1910 in Berlin, the Baltic Exhibition in 1914, an international exhibit in Copenhagen at Charlottenborg Palace in 1916, and a Swedish exhibition in London in 1924.
     The artist is represented in these public institutions:

• Lund University Art Museum

• National Museum in Stockholm

• The Swedish State Portrait Collection

• Nordic Museum in Stockholm

• Eskilstuna Art Museum

• Stockholm City Hall

• Uppsala University Library