Charles Rennnie Mackintosh was born in Glasgow on 7 June 1868, one of eleven children. His father, William Mackintosh, was a policeman, devout and very strict. When Mackintosh was born the family lived in a third floor tenement flat in the east of Glasgow but ten years later his father had advanced sufficiently in his career to move the family to Dennistoun, a quiet suburb on the edge of the city.
 
Little is known of Mackintosh's early life, but from an early age he had an interest in drawing and decided quite early on that he wanted to be an architect despite parental disapproval. In 1884 at the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to the architectural firm of John Hutchison.

The same year his apprenticeship began Mackintosh enrolled in evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art and was to become a student there on and off for 8 years.

In 1889 at the age of twenty one Mackintosh completed his articles and secured the position of junior draftsman with Honeyman and Keppie a large successful Glaswegian practice.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh
 
Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh In 1893 Mackintosh was searching for a way to translate the inspiration of nature and the native traditions of his own country into a new style. At Honeyman and Keppie he met and befriended a draftsman, Herbert MacNair who had similar ideals. Around this time they were introduced to Frances and Margaret Macdonald, whose work shared a striking similarity and they became collectively known as "The Four". After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art The Four set up there own design studios, with Mackintosh branching out into furniture design. In 1896 they were invited to exhibit at the Arts and Crafts Society Exhibition in London but their work was not well received at the time.
 
The Four ceased to collaborate directly in 1898 when McNair accepted the post of Instructor at Liverpool University, taking Frances Macdonald with him as his wife. In August 1900 Mackintosh and Margaret were married, he was 32, she 35. Much controversy has surround Margaret's involvement with Mackintosh's work her art being seen as too mystical and decorative. However, Mackintosh saw Margaret as the spiritual key to his greatest, he was quoted as saying, "she has genius, whilst I have only talent". Margaret created decorations and artifacts for many of her husband's interiors and the homes they made together bear witness to a deep artistic compatibility, a unified endeavour.
 
The period between 1896 and 1910 was to prove Mackintosh's most productive, with the design and building of The Glasgow School of Art, Windy Hill, The Hill House and The designs for the The Willow Tea Rooms. However, by 1910 the work had mostly dried up, Mackintosh's perfectionism and drive alienated him from many clients, he would quite often change his mind half way through the building of a project which was costly and constantly rowing with craftsman made him quite unpopular.
 
In 1913 he resigned from Honeyman, Keppie and Mackintosh. Mackintosh's relationship with Keppie had been difficult for some time after Mackintosh jilted Keppie's sister to marry Margaret.
 
In 1914 Mackintosh turned his back on Glasgow - spending a year in Suffolk where some of his finest paintings were produced.
 
In 1915 the couple moved to London, making a living by designing fabrics and wallpapers and other small domestic design projects.
 
It was clear that Mackintosh's architectural career was over and he sank into a deep depression. In 1923 the Mackintoshs departed for the South of France where they stayed for 4 years. Mackintosh returned again to painting. In 1927 he complained of a sore throat and he and Margaret returned to England for medical treatment. He was diagnosed as having cancer and died on the 28 December 1928. Margaret survived him by only four years.