As a young man in his 20s, Boisseau immigrated to the United States, settling first in New Orleans, where his brother was working for the French consul.

Becoming interested in art, Boisseau studied under Paul Delaroche, a fashionable Paris artist whose style combined neo-classicism and romanticism.

In his early 20s, Boisseau moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, living there from 1845 to 1847, while his brother served as secretary to the French consul.

Boisseau painted his first works on Native American themes - mostly of members of the Choctaw nation who were historically based in Louisiana and Mississippi.

While working as secretary and bibliographer to the Institut canadien de Montréal, he completed several paintings.