One of a number of high profile paintings developed the same year, Rousseau's Artillerymen was completed in 1895. It is likely this painting was inspired by his own military career – Rousseau was said to have served in the army from 1863 for four years. An oil on canvas, it has been interpreted as Rousseau's idiosyncratic attempt to depict modern times through group a portrait of 14 handsome military men. Together, the identical handlebar moustachioed men present a high-spirited image of an artillery battery.

During his lifetime Rousseau became something of a sensation within the relatively small Parisian art scene. In the sense that he had limited professional success during his lifetime, Rousseau can be said to have invented himself – he arrived at exhibitions and dinner parties uninvited, assuming the role of an honoured guest – just as he invented images unlike anything around him. After his death notable artists considered him a major force in the art world.