Caroline was born in Gothenburg, Sweden at the von Knorring noble family.
When her father failed in business, she was encouraged to take up photography as a profession.
She moved from Gothenburg to Stockholm and opened a photo studio at Jakobsbergsgatan, which she ran between 1864 and 1871.
After marriage, she closed her studio in Stockholm and moved to a mansion in Sunnansjö.
Caroline von Knorring died in 1925 and her remains rest in Roths' family grave at Ludvika Ulrica church's cemetery.