Eugène Galien-Laloue, acknowledged as one of the best painters of Paris of his time, lived most of his life in Montmartre. In 1874 he was employed by the French Railway lines when the company was expanding its network from Paris to the French provinces and needed an illustrator to travel and paint the new section of the rail network. At that point he started painting regularly. In 1876, at the age of 22, Galien-Laloue exhibited for the first time, at the Museum of Reims. During the rest of his career he also exhibited at Dijon, Orléans, Versailles, Roubaix, Saint Etienne, Bordeaux, Monte Carlo, Hautecoeur, among several other cities.

His favourite subjects were scenes of life in Paris. Galien-Laloue was popular and his paintings sold very well. He was loved not only by the French, but also by American and British collectors. His nostalgic, meticulous paintings appeal even nowadays, as most of the background details still exist and can be recognized while walking around the streets, boulevards, and quays of the city. Gifted beyond measure, Galien-Laloue became well known at the turn of the century for capturing the very ambiance of Paris on his canvas. He had the uncanny ability to give the illusion of detail in an impressionistic style.