Born in the outskirts of Paris in 1834, Léon Bonvin was the son of apoliceman and a seamstress. There were numerous siblings from multiplemarriages, and money was scarce. Léon's strongest bond was with his olderbrother François. They shared a desire to draw and a precocious aestheticsensibility. Apprenticed to a printer in his adolescence, François wouldgive the younger Léon artistic advice for the remainder of his life.