Albert Dubois-Pillet was born in Paris. His father, Jules Sylvain Dubois, was a wealthy merchant, and his mother, Sophie Hortense Pillet, was the sister of an auctioneer named Charles Pillet. He was educated in Toulouse, then at the Special Military School of Saint-Cyr. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he served in the 1st Flying Regiment of the Imperial Guard. After the defeat of Sedan, he was imprisoned in Paderborn, Germany.
He returned to Toulouse in April 1871 and in May of the same year fought in the regular army during the Bloody Week, which ended the Paris Commune. He was promoted to lieutenant on 21 May 1872 and was assigned to the 90th Line Infantry Regiment. On May 8, 1876, he became a captain in the 77th Infantry Regiment. The same year, he was transferred to Poitiers. In 1878, he applied to join the Republican Guard, which he was granted, and he returned to Paris on November 11, 1879.
In 1884, he exhibited a painting entitled "Dead Child" at the Salon des Indépendants. Émile Zola was inspired by this work for a passage from his novel "L 'Œuvre", published in 1886. Albert Dubois-Pillet was one of the co-founders of the Société des Indépendants. There he met Paul Signac and Georges Seurat, with whom he became friends.
He was part of the pointillist movement and discussed painting and color with Signac and Seurat. Jules Christophe
