[1] The island got its name because it was popular with impressionist painters, including Claude Monet,[2] in the second half of the 19th century.

Towards the end of the 18th century, the great and the small island of Chatou were connected by a dike to reinforce the current and thus improve the efficiency of the Machine de Marly.

Artists like Claude Monet and Guy de Maupassant often described the pleasures of the boating and the Maison Fournaise in its short stories.

Réalier-Dumas decorated the north facade of the House (his restored fresco is still visible today).

[7] After the war, many installations were carried out by EDF on this site which became the Chatou Research and Test Center.