Paul Bodifeé was born in Deventer in 1866. After attending the Normaalschool voor Tekenonderwijs and the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam, he returned to Deventer, where he became a drawing teacher. In addition, he developed into a high-profile painter of landscapes in Overijssel in which he managed to meet the atmosphere of the somewhat dry, sandy Salland. Bodifée also painted old Deventer city neighbourhoods and landscapes in and around Giethoorn.