La Charmeuse de Serpents, 1907 by Henri Rousseau

Henri Rousseau is probably best known for his jungle scenes, the first being 'Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!)' (1891) and the last 'The Dream' (1910). He claimed these images were inspired by his time in the army serving in Mexico but it is more likely that zoos and illustrated books were his sources. His untrained eye gave him a freshness of vision and his vivid imagination gave rise to some fantastic scenes.