His family originally came from Lorraine. Some sources say that he was born there in 1810. His father was a draftsman working on the canal being built from Nantes to Brest and gave him his first drawing lessons.
His family roots were in Lorraine. Some sources indicate that he was born there in 1810. His father, an engineer working on the canal project from Nantes to Brest, introduced him to drawing at a young age.