The great French writer Victor Hugo (1802–1885) agreed to allow Rodin to sculpt his portrait, provided he did not have to pose for it. Instead, Hugo invited Rodin to lunches and dinners and allowed the artist to observe him in a relaxed social setting. Rodin kept his supplies on a balcony and would move between there and the dining room as he worked.

After Hugo died two years later, Rodin won the commission for a monument to the author in the Paris Panthéon. One of his designs for that work is on view in a neighboring gallery.