Charles van den Eycken was a Belgian artist specialising in still-life and interiors. He later met and studied under the animal painter J. Stevens and his later paintings reflecting this change of direction. Charles van den Eycken went on to exhibit regularly at the Salon in Brussels.

With the growth of the middle classes in the 19th century the number of cats and dogs kept as domestic pets increased. It is not surprising that the public should enjoy pictures that showed the animals in situations comic, sentimental and anthropomorphic. His work quickly became very popular and received many awards.