Tkalčić was born on 4 May 1840 in Zagreb, Kingdom of Croatia, to father Janko from Samobor and mother Bara (née Martinjakova).
On 10 October 1867, when he became the prebendary of the Zagreb Cathedral, a post he held until his death on 11 May 1905.
[2] Tkalčić became a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (then Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts) in 1875, and a full member in 1882.
[3] From then onwards he held the position of the academy's librarian until 1892 and archivist in 1896.
This Croatian academic-related biographical article is a stub.