At the age of 14, he was passionated by the study of plants and his collection of plants from around the entire world counted at his death about 3000 specimens.
Gallé joined his father as a partner in his glass- and decoration business in 1867, after education in several European cities as Weimar and Meisenthal.
After 10 years he took over the family business and extended it with a furniture factory in 1885.
Within a decade of another successful showing at the Paris Exhibition of 1889, Gallé had reached international fame and his style, with its emphasis on naturalism and floral motifs, was at the forefront of the emerging Art Nouveau movement.
As result of lack of public interest he started to focus on the production of glass in which he developped new techniques like for instance marqueterie-ur-verre.
