Fanny Brate was the daughter of Johan Frans Gustaf Oskar Ekbom (1832-1894), a clerk in the household of Prince Oscar, Duke of Östergötland (later, King Oscar II), and she was born in the Arvfurstens palats. From 1868 to 1877, she studied at a girls' school, followed by drawing lessons at the Arts and Crafts School. She became a full-time student there from 1878 to 1879.