Born in 1798 in Mirecourt (Meurthe-et-Moselle), died in 1850 in Paris, Demay was a painter specializing in genre scenes and landscapes. Self-taught artist, Demay participated in the Paris Salon from 1827 to 1846. He then dealt with vivacity with the scenes of markets, fairs, fairs, of peasant life or at least in the countryside during the Restoration period (1815-1830).