Born in the village of Selezen, Tambov Province, he studied in St. Petersburg at the Academy of Arts (1856–1864), after which he received the title of a free artist. At the same time, a new kind of visual art is emerging - photo art. Young A. Karelin achieves so great success in it that in 1876 he received an unusual title - “Photographer of the Academy of Arts”.
Further A.O. Karelin devotes himself to both types of art, creating in painting the Plant VI. Ragozin in Balakhna, portraits of his wife, OG Karelina, V.I. Demidova, A.V. Demidov, the founder of the Kaluga Art Museum, Dr. N.I. Vasilyeva, L.N. Pustorlevoi, S.S. Teplova et al .; in art photography: portraits D.I. Mendeleev, V.G. Korolenko, I.S. Turgeneva, A.M. Gorky, V.V. Vereshchagin, I.I. Shishkin, K.E. Makovsky and others. For their photographic work of A.O. Karelin repeatedly received gold medals at international exhibitions. Living since 1866 in Nizhny Novgorod, he contributed a lot to the development of the cultural life of the city. In 1869, he founded a photographic institution and at the same time an art studio-studio (later - a school of drawing), in which he taught until his last days.
In 1896, thanks to the efforts of A.O. Karelina in Nizhny Novgorod opened the City Art and Historical Museum, a significant part of the original collection of which was composed of Russian antiquities, collected by a master of painting and art photography, a great patriot of the country and his city.
Born on July 16 (July 4, pp.) In 1837 in Soldatskaya Sloboda (now Selezny village) of the Tambov Gubernia, he was the illegitimate son of the state peasant Tatiana Ivanovna Karelina.
In 1847 he was sent to Tambov to study icon painting. In 1857 he entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. At this time, he begins to engage in photography. In 1863, Karelin received two small silver medals of the Academy of Arts "For success in drawing" for a sketch from nature and drawing from nature. In 1864, he completed his studies and was awarded the title of free class artist.
In 1865, he and his wife Eugenia Nikitichna and children Lyudmila and Apollo moved from St. Petersburg to Kostroma. In Kostroma, he was engaged in portrait and church painting, gave painting lessons. At the same time, he worked in the photo workshop M. P. Nastyukova. In 1866, the wife dies during childbirth, leaving his son Andrei. Soon Karelin with three children and the second wife Olga Grigorievna, nee Lermontova (a relative of M. Y. Lermontov) moved to Nizhny Novgorod. In Nizhny Novgorod, they had three children: Olga, Tatiana, Rafail.
In Nizhny Novgorod, he opened his drawing school and taught in it until 1905. In 1869, Karelin opened his photo workshop "Photography and Painting."
In 1870, Karelin together with the painter I. I. Shishkin created the album “Nizhny Novgorod”. At the Nizhny Novgorod Fair, he opened his pavilion and constantly worked in it.
In 1873, he took part in the VI World Exhibition of Art Photography in Vienna.
In 1876, for portraits and etude photographs from life at the Special Exhibition of the French Photographic Society in Paris, he was awarded the Big Silver Medal. He also received a bronze medal at the World International Exhibition in Philadelphia, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the liberation of the North American United States, and at the Special Exhibition of the Edinburgh Photographic Society, he was awarded a diploma and a gold medal from the Royal Academy in Edinburgh.
In 1878, Karelin was accepted as a member of the French National Academy of Arts. He was awarded a diploma of the French Photographic Society and a gold medal at the VIII World Exhibition in Paris.
In 1879, Emperor Alexander III granted him a gold medal to be worn around the neck on the Stanislav ribbon for "useful participation in the Paris World Exhibition", in addition, he was awarded an honorary diploma from the National Academy of Agriculture, Manufactory and Commerce Paris
In the future, he has repeatedly won high awards at various exhibitions. In 1886, he released the album “Views of Nizhny Novgorod”. In 1887, near Yuryevets, he managed to make a series of photographs of a total solar eclipse.
In 1898, he made slides for demonstration in schools using "magic lanterns".
Karelin was elected a member of a large number of different societies: from the Nizhny Novgorod Society of Art Lovers to the Imperial Society of Lovers of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography.
He died on August 12, 1906 and was buried in the cemetery of Holy Cross Convent.
