Starting from 1856, he travelled widely and visited Greece, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Algeria.

[3] He was clearly fascinated and sensitive to the intricacies of local costume, accessory, and custom as is shown in his sketchbooks, studies, paintings and written accounts of these travels.

[3] Huysmans' Orientalist paintings were clearly influenced by Orientalism's greatest master Gérôme.

He may also have been influenced by the popular British Orientalist painter John Frederick Lewis (1804–1876), whose "domesticated" Middle Eastern genre scenes were internationally praised.

[2] His Orientalist paintings represent simple, everyday scenes with strong colouring and well-observed details of costumes and objects.