Starting out as an amateur painter, Dubois-Pillet helped to found the Salon des Indépendants, an annual exhibition that gave artists including Seurat and Van Gogh a chance to show their work. A trained soldier and committed socialist, Dubois-Pillet in his works portrayed France at peace, far removed from the recent Franco-Prussian war. In 1870 Meaux had hosted negotiations over the siege of Paris, but here it appears as idyllic. Lively dots of color animate the scene, while the white paper support lends luminosity.