Born in Cuiseaux, France, Jean-Édouard Vuillard moved to Paris in 1878. When his father passed away in 1884, Vuillard attended Lycée Condorcet on a scholarship. The following year, he left the school to pursue an artistic career. Vuillard joined the studio of Diogène Maillart before applying to the École des Beaux-Arts. Though it took three attempts, he passed the entry exam and was accepted. In 1890, he met Pierre Bonnard and Paul Sérusier and became a member of Les Nabis. Meaning “The Prophets” in Hebrew, this Post-Impressionist, Avant-Garde group was inspired by the work Gauguin, utilizing symbolism and atmospheric effect.

Vuillard was influenced by Japanese prints, evoking Hiroshige’s sense of perspective in his interior scenes, as seen in the cover print for Landscapes and Interiors (1889). Known for his warm interiors and tender portraits of life in the home, Vuillard found further inspiration in Harunobu’s inviting scenes. Vuillard traveled around Europe in 1898, exhibiting at the Salon des Indépendants (1901) and Salon d’Automne (1903). He contributed to the cultural review, Le Revue Blanche, along with other prominent printmakers such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, and Vallotton. In 1920, Vuillard shifted from interior scenes to portraiture. He died in 1940.