Like other members of the Barbizon School, Dupré began his career as a porcelain painter, working in the factory of his father François Dupré. Gradually becoming more influenced by naturalistic landscape painting, he took lessons from Jean-Michel Diébolt, and began making sojourns to paint natural settings in the provinces. Dupré's work differed from others' in the Barbizon School because he did not strictly associate himself with the area around the Forest of Fontainebleau, instead preferring the village of L'Isle d'Adam north of Paris, and his work tended to be more romantic. Like many of his Barbizon contemporaries, Duprée was influential with the Impressionists.