She is known for modeling for several of Gérôme's famous works depicting scenes from antiquity, including Pool in a Harem, Omphale, Tanagra, and Pygmalion and Galatea.

According to her biography written by Paul Dollfus in 1896 (although novelized and full of anecdotes), Dupont was wandering in front of a cafe that she used to frequent with her ex-boyfriend when the owner noticed her.

[3] When Dupont tearfully explained her situation to him, the owner gave her some money and told her to return the next morning, promising that he would try to find her a job.

According to Paul Dollfus, her regular income allowed her to live in a small apartment on the boulevard de Clichy, which was decorated with works artists she had modeled for had given her.

In the painting La fine della seduta [it], Emma Dupont herself is depicted covering the clay model of Omphale with a cloth while the sculptor washes his tools.