Henri Rousseau

self-taught artist · jungle paintings · French history

Started late. Henri Rousseau didn't begin painting seriously until he was in his early forties, which shows it's never too late to chase a dream. By the time he was 49, he had enough confidence to quit his job collecting taxes and paint full-time.

Jungle expert. Rousseau became famous for painting lush, mysterious jungle scenes filled with exotic animals and plants, even though he never actually traveled to the jungle. He used his imagination and visited the Paris zoo and botanical gardens to learn what he needed.

The tax collector. Before he was a famous artist, Rousseau worked as a toll and tax collector in Paris, which gave him the nickname 'Le Douanier' (The Customs Officer). His coworkers thought his art hobby was pretty funny at the time.

Misunderstood genius. Many people laughed at Rousseau's paintings when he first showed them because his style looked different from what other artists were doing. It took years before people realized how special and original his work really was.

Primitive master. Rousseau's style was called 'Naïve' or 'Primitive,' which meant it looked simple and direct rather than realistic, but that was exactly what made it magical and wonderful to look at.