Caillebotte a rich young bachelor, was a naval engineer by profession, but was also a talented painter. He is chiefly remembered as a friend and patron of the. Impressionists. He first met Monet, Renoir, and soon became their friend and benefactor; he used to help them by their paintings. In 1876, at the time of their second exhibition, he joined the group himself. He made a will, bequeathing his entire or paintings, which included many important Impressionist works, to the State, on condition should be handed over to the Louvre. Caillebotte managed to enthuse his friends a third exhibition was organised in the spring of 1877. Soon after it was closed, he took a very active part in the second auction of Impressionist works, and in 1879 offered to help again with arrangements for the fourth exhibition which opened on 10 April The sixth exhibition was held in April 1881, but Caillebotte was not involved.  However, being extremely preserving, he pressed on and towards the end of 1881 he agreed to organize a fresh exhibition. His plan succeeded and on 1 of March 1882, the exhibition opened at 251 Rue-Honore. After eight years  working together, the Impressionists had at last managed to form a really representative homogeneous group of painters.
When Caillebotte died in 1894 , the Government did not feel able to accept the whole of his collection, which consisted of sixty-five pictures. There was a great deal of discussion and conferring , and controversy in the press, before an arraignment could be reached; and finally only thirty-eight pictures went to the Luxembourg museum (8 Monets, 7 by Pissarro, 6 by Renoir, 6 Sisley, 2 each by Manet and Cezanne, and 7 by Degas). It was not until 1928 that they found their proper place in the Louvre.

Based on Phaidon encyclopedia of Impressionism, Maurice Serullaz, Phaidon, 1978