Louis-Théodore Devilly

[1] His father, Louis-Jean-Baptiste (1792-1826), was a member of the Académie nationale de Metz [fr] and a prominent Mason.

Following his father's death, his mother, Félicité Constance Gentil, took over the bookshop, but he was more attracted to drawing and sketching.

[2] From 1833 to 1835, he attended classes taught by Laurent-Charles Maréchal, the founder of the École de Metz.

[3] He returned to Metz in 1841, but continued to exhibit in Paris; winning a silver medal at the Salon of 1852.

[1] In 1864, he was named Director of the École supérieure d’art de Metz [fr] Following the Franco-Prussian War, he remained loyal to France and moved away from Metz, which had become part of the German Empire.