In 1822, locals transformed an existing dead end into an alley that led to rue de Vaugirard, hence, its initial name of Ruelle Volontaire, with the "s" added later to pay homage to the soldiers of the French Revolution.

The station opened on 5 November 1910 as part of the original section of the Nord-Sud Company's line A between Porte de Versailles and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette.

From the 1950s, like most stations along the line, the platforms were modernised with the installation of red metal casings and golden advertising frames on the walls until 2015, when it was removed as part of the "Un métro + beau" programme by the RATP.

It details the rich artistic history of the district, often attributable to the Bal Blomet, a historic cabaret of the Roaring Twenties in Montparnasse that Joséphine Baker, Simone de Beauvoir, and Ernest Hemingway frequented.

The lower portion of the side walls are vertical instead of elliptical, as are the other stations constructed by the Nord-Sud company (today on lines 12 and 13).