Braith was born in
Biberach an der Riß. His father was a day-laborer who later became a farm manager. As a child, Braith helped herd the cattle. In 1851, he won a scholarship to attend the Royal Art School in
Stuttgart where he studied under
Bernhard von Neher and
Heinrich von Rustige. Later, in 1860, he and his classmate
Albert Kappis moved to Munich, where they made the acquaintance of
Christian Mali and became involved in several local "art colonies". In 1867, he travelled to Paris, together with Kappis and Mali. Several exhibitions there, in Vienna and in Munich were very successful. By 1875, Braith was able to buy a villa in Biberach. He undertook his first trip to Italy in 1884 and returned there in 1889. During the
Munich Secession in 1892, Braith remained loyal to the Academy. He was diagnosed with liver disease in 1903 and, in 1904, went to
Bolzano seeking a cure. Six months before his death, he returned to his home town. As he had never married, he left his estate to the city of Biberach, which used part of his legacy to create a museum. His friend Mali died shortly thereafter and also bequeathed his estate to the city. The two are buried side by side in the Old Catholic Cemetery. The
Braith-Mali Museum is now part of an expanded museum complex that also has a large collection of works by
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. == Work ==