Jouffroy was born in Dijon, France, the son of a baker, and attended the local drawing school before being admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1824.

[1] Among his students were Per Hasselberg, Jean Dampt, Léopold Morice, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, José Simões de Almeida (Tio), António Soares dos Reis, Elisa de Lamartine, and Adrien Étienne Gaudez.

[6] "Je désire que mes cendres reposent sur les bords de la Seine, au milieu de ce peuple français que j'ai tant aimé"At the bottom of this staircase are Jouffroy's bas-reliefs.

He was buried on the island and his remains stayed there until 1840 when Louis-Philippe decided to have the body brought back to France.

A body of French sailors, under the command of the Prince of Joinville, brought his coffin to France aboard the ship "Belle Poule".