Born in Paris in 1836, Victor Gustave Cousin was a painter of landscapes and still lifes. He studied under Francois Edouard Picot (1786-1868), debuting at the Paris Salon in 1859. Cousin exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon throughout his career. He best known for classical views of the French countryside and his landscapes painted in the Lazio region near Rome. Cousin preferred a palette of rich nuanced greens to capture the Roman Campagna.

Cousin's works are in the Musée Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne, France, and The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Mulhouse, France.