Although caricatures depicted him as a working-class painter, Gustave Courbet was a great master, and his clients were from the upper class who could afford his fees. Deeply opposed to any interference by a jury that might obstruct his direct relationship with the public, from 1855 onwards in parallel to the Salon, he chose to manage his own exhibitions if needed; a sense of self-promotion that would encourage Manet and the Impressionists to take charge of their own showcases.