A prolific and hugely successful artist in his own life time, Meissonier is best remembered today for his paintings glorifying Napoleon and the Napoleonic legend.  He first showed at the Salon of 1834 and he showed every year thereafter through 1867.  In 1861, Meissonier was elected to the Institut, of which he became President in 1876.  He was successively chevalier, officier, commandeur and grand officier of the Legion of Honour.

By 1840 Meissonier was recognized as a painter of small, remarkably accurate historical genre scenes, reminiscent of the Dutch little masters of the seventeenth century.  He often had historical costumes made up as studio props to enhance the historical accuracy of the scene.