He was born to the ballet master, Friedrich Horschelt, and his wife, the dancer Barbara (Babette) Eckner (1804–1889), who had been a soloist in the Munich ballet.
[1] His first drawing lessons were with the history painter, Michael Echter.
[2] Beginning in 1847, he studied with Charles Gleyre in Paris, and held his first exhibit at the Salon in 1848.
In 1854, he went to Vienna, with a letter of recommendation from the former King of Bavaria, Ludwig I.
The battle painter, Theodor Horschelt, was his younger brother.