 Originally, he established himself as an auctioneer, but his artistic sensibilities soon proved to be greater than his business sense.Thanks to the support of his father-in-law, he was able to pursue his interest in art and study with Eugène Boudin, a family friend, who had to start from scratch as Braquaval had not even been taught how to draw when he was a child.In 1895, he bought a house in Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme, a popular area for painters at that time.