Gignoux studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts with Paul Delaroche. He was born in Lyon, France, but emigrated to the United States in around 1840 and opened a studio in Brooklyn. George Innes was his pupil for a short time in 1843. Highly popular in his day, Gignoux painted views of Niagara Falls, New England, and Virginia, and became especially well known for his snow scene, such as this work "Winter Landscape." He returned to France in 1870 and lived there until his death.