Skilled marine painters and chart makers, the Roux family ran a renowned workshop out of Marseilles for four generations. Founded by Joseph Roux (1725-1793), the workshop gained its reputation under his son Ange-Joseph-Antoine Roux (1765-1835). Antoine, as he was known, was a talented maritime watercolourist and chart maker who wanted his pictures to be not only decorative but highly accurate. To this end he spent much of his time studying the varied and exotic ships that came into port at Marseilles and even underwent a spell on the warship Trusty in order to increase his knowledge of every aspect of his subjects. This attention to detail was perfectly suited to the time in which he worked, as the 19thCentury saw an increasing demand for accurate ship portraits, and Antoine Roux's work was the inspiration for many French and Italian maritime artists
François G. Roux was the youngest son of marine artist Antoine Roux. Like his father, he specialised in marine subjects, was based in Marseille and favoured watercolours.