Gustaf Tenggren was born in 1896 in Magra parish (now part of Alingsås Municipality), in Västra Götaland County, Sweden.

Tenggren's early schooling and artistic influences were solidly grounded in Scandinavian techniques, motifs and myths; he worked with illustrating in the popular Swedish folklore and fairy tales annual Bland Tomtar och Troll ("Among Gnomes and Trolls"), where he succeeded illustrator John Bauer.

In January 1939, during the early stages of Bambi, he left the studio and returned to New York, where he had lived before being hired by Disney.

[2][3] Although his work for the studio was still that way, Tenggren never painted in the Rackham fairy-tale illustration style again after he left Disney.

After his death, much of his non-Disney art was donated to the University of Minnesota to be included in the Kerlan Collection, a special library focusing on children's literature.