Félicien Rops, Belgian painter, cartoonist, illustrator, illustrator, etcher and engraver, left a significant mark on 19th century. He is best known for his illustrations and engravings, in particular the frontispieces of important works of French literature of the time.

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Rops distinguished himself as a cartoonist, contributing in particular to the newspaper The Crocodile, before starting a career as an illustrator. Towards the end of the 19th century, he is unquestionably considered as one of the most fashionable cartoonists in Paris, where he frequented many writers, in particular Baudelaire, who invited him to illustrate his famous poetry collection, Les Fleurs du Mal. Rops's works often shocked society at the time by addressing themes such as death, sexuality, and the occult, which helped to shake up the artistic conventions and traditional representations of the time.

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In 1884, Rops acquired a property in Corbeil-Essonnes, a town located thirty kilometers south of Paris. It's in this house, The Half Moon, that he spent his retirement, devoting himself in particular to the study of botany. The dissemination of its rich and provocative artistic heritage is ensured by the Felicien Rops Museum from Namur, Belgium.