Painter, printmaker, muralist, and textile designer Cornelius "Cor" de Wolff was born in Middleburg, Netherlands, on April 18, 1889. He attended the Haarlem School of Art and Crafts from 1907 to 1911, studying with Chris Lebeau, and the Academy of Visual Arts in Rotterdam, earning his degree in painting in 1915. He was a part of the group "The Populists," an Expressionist collective that included Nicolas Eekman, Jan Strube, Louis Schrikkel and John van Hell. Considered an apolicital movement, the artists intended to create works that simply reflected the everyday life of the people of the Netherlands, recording street musicians, bar and street scenes, circuses, and more. The style Wolff developed within the group was one he carried forth throughout his career.

In addition to his independant work, Wolff was also a teacher. Among his students were Kreel Daamen, Toon Hendrickx, Elbert Hooijberg, and Frederik Adolf Krusmann.

Wolff was a member of the Independent Artists Association of Amsterdam (from 1931); the Dutch Circle of Graphic Artists and Illustrators (from 1949); and the Association for the Promotion of Graphic Arts, Amsterdam (from 1952), andhe exhibited throughout the Netherlands, Germany, and France. In 1963, the year of his death, his work was included in the 50th anniversary exhibition of the Independent Artists Association, Amsterdam. His work can be found in the permanent collection of the Hague National Collection; the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam; and the Central Museum of Utrecht. He died in Amsterdam on June 9, 1963.