Carolus-Duran was the name adopted by Charles Emile Auguste Durand, born in 1837 in Lille, France. Carolus-Duran began his artistic training in Paris at the Academie Suisse, and also traveled to Rome and Spain, where he studied the old masters. His debut at the Paris Salon was in 1866, after which began to specialize in portraiture, gaining a fine reputation for his works. Carolus-Duran also maintained a studio, which was among the finest in Paris. Among his students was John Singer Sargent.

Along with artists Meissonier and Puvis de Chavannes, Carolus-Duran founded the Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and became president of the association in 1898. He was named commander of the prestigious Legion of Honor, and in 1905 became the Director of the Ecole Francaise in Rome. Works by Carolus-Duran can be found in the permanent collections of the Musee D’Orsay and the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York as well as museums in Florence, Lille and Tokyo.