The only son of a village schoolmaster in Mont-Saint-Pere, France, Leon L'Hermitte had precocious drawing skills, which won him an annual grant from the state. In 1863, he went to Paris and became a student at the Petite Ecole. Jean-Charles Cazin, a fellow pupil, became a lifelong friend, and L'hermitte later got to know Alphonse Legros, Henri Fantin-Latour, Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin, all who had all studied at the school. In 1864 his charcoal drawing the Banks of the Marne near Alfort was exhibited at the Salon; he continued to exhibit his drawings at the Salon until 1889.

In 1871 Legros introduced him to the dealer Durand-Ruel, who agreed to sell several of his drawings. In 1873, Durand-Ruel sent some of L'H...