Leon Marie Joseph Iwill was a Parisien artist of much influence. He was born in Paris in 1850, was destined by his father, who was treasurer of the Chamber of Deputies, for a civil engineering job. With this in mind, Leon studied in Paris at the Lycee Bonaparte, where his classmate was Edouard Detaille, who became a noted military painter. Leon had delicate health, which prevented him from finishing his engineering studies, but needing to make a living, he took a job with a jewelry firm, where he distinguished himself with exquisite designs.

Bad health followed, and he became seriously ill, but in spite of those problems, he was drafted into the armed forces when war with Germany was declared. During the long winter military marches ...