a French Romantic painter of landscapes, genre and historical scenes. From an early age, he displayed an aptitude for drawing, and would often correct his classmates. Around the age of eighteen, he began to take painting lessons. Oddly enough, when his father encouraged him to take up art as a profession, Camille hesitated because he wanted it to remain a pleasant pastime, not become a job. Soon, the lessons he felt forced to take caused him disgust and he took up the study of medicine. He got as far as the anatomy classes, which he found unappealing, and failed the examination. He then became a clerk in the Ministry of Finance, where his father worked, but this was also short-lived
