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How did Henri Rousseau continue painting while working at the Paris toll office?
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Henri Rousseau
Myself: Portrait-Landscape, oil on canvas by Henri Rousseau, 1890; in the National Gallery, Prague. 146 × 113 cm.
While working as a tax collector at the Paris toll office, Henri Rousseau managed to pursue his art by dividing his time between his bureaucratic duties, family responsibilities, and painting.1
Despite the demands of his civil service career, he remained dedicated to his creative ambitions. He had likely painted since childhood and continued to do so throughout his employment, eventually retiring from the toll house in 1893 to devote himself entirely to his work. During his time as a civil servant, he also sought opportunities to develop his craft, such as obtaining permission in 1884 to copy paintings at the Louvre and exhibiting his work at the Salon des Indépendants.1