Painter, printmaker, and illustrator Lorenz Frolich was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 25, 1820, into a wealthy merchant family. An early interest in drawing was supported by his family and he was given tours of the royal galleries at Christiansborg Palace through his uncle, an inspector for the collections. He was trained in drawing by Martinus Rorbye beginning in 1833, followed by lessons in painting from Christen Kobke and Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg. In the 1840s he studied under Eduard Julius Bendemann in Dresden, Germany, before moving to Paris, France. There, he began exhibiting at the salons and continued his training under Thomas Couture (1852 - 1853).|

Frolich divided his time between Paris and Rome through the 1850s and '60s. He married Carolina Charlotta de Betou in 1855 and they had a daughter, Edma Prolich, who would later become a painter in her own right. Frolich established a career as an illustrator and would become known as one of Denmark's leading childrens' book illustrators, frequently using his daughter as a model for his depictions of Nordic folk tales and other works. They lived in Paris until Carolina's death in 1872, at which point Frolich and Edma returned to Copenhagen and Frolich was appointed a proffesorship at the Royal Danish Academy of Art. 

In addition to painting and illustration, Frolich was a decoartive artist who was commissioned by the governments of Germany and Denmark to design panels for various public buildings. A celebrated figure in Denmark, he was given various accolades including a concert in his honor featuring a piece written by Danish composer Carl Nielsen on Frolich's eightieth birthday in 1900.

Frolich died in Hellerup, Denmark, on his 88th birthday.