Oskar Schmerling was born into a Lutheran[1] German family[2] in the North Caucasian city of Stavropol on 1 July [O.S.

According to Schmerling's own autobiography, his academic results weren't good and he tried to publish a periodical named Mosquito (Georgian: კოღო, romanized: k'ogho) unsuccessfully in 1880–1881.

He continued to work in People's Education Committee and publishing house after Soviet takeover in 1920[5] and drew posters for Azerbaijani branch of the Russian Telegraph Agency until 1921.

His disciples include Lado Gudiashvili, Ketevan Goliashvili, Aleksandre Tsimakuridze, Mikheil Chiaureli, Grigor Vahramian Gasparbeg and others.

He participated in exhibitions of the Caucasian Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, and illustrated a lot of Georgian children's literature.

[7] Schmerling was the uncle of the artist and set designer Alexander Von Salzman, who from 1917 created many caricatures for the Devils' Whip.