Like other artists in the animalier movement (which began in France), he studied living animals as inspiration for his works.

[11] The bronze sculptures for the Art Institute of Chicago were commissioned by Florence Lathrop Field, an early benefactor of the museum.

[12] After the board of trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago had made a decision for there to be guardian lion sculptures outside of the new museum building, the president of the board of trustees, Charles L. Hutchinson, favored commissioning such as work from one of a dozen better-known sculptors.

[16] The wreathing ceremony is traditionally held the day following the United States Thanksgiving holiday observance.

[3][14] In late April 2020 (amid the COVID-19 pandemic), mock-ups of a surgical mask were placed on the sculptures in order to bring public attention to health safety measures implemented in Illinois at the time that required masking in public.

Tina Landau of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company wrote a script in which the two sculptures were portrayed as "gently feuding brothers".

[20] In 2018, as part of another Statue Stories of Chicago installation,[21] the sculptures were voiced by Letts and Mandy Patinkin.

[2] In 2020, the base of the northern sculpture was vandalized, with the words "inside mania" spray painted beneath the statute.

[23] In 1910, the sculptures were moved slightly from their original placement to new positions 12 feet (3.7 m) nearer to the museum building.

During the 2022 conservation work, the time capsules were temporarily removed, being returned unopened when the sculptures were reinstalled.