The painter Theodoros Rallis was born in Constantinople in 1852 and passed away in Lausanne in 1909.
A scion of a historic family from Chios, Theodoros Rallis initially worked at the Rallis-Mavrogiannis commercial firm in London, but he quickly abandoned it to turn to painting. He settled in Paris, where he studied under the Orientalist J.L. Gérôme (1873–1880).
From 1875 onwards, he exhibited at the Salons, the Paris Exposition Universelles, as well as abroad and in Greece, winning significant awards. He was a member of the Society of French Artists, which honored him with an honorable mention (1885) and a silver medal (1889). In Greece, he was awarded a silver medal at the Olympia Exhibition (1888) and the Athens International Exhibition (1903).
Despite gaining French citizenship in 1885, he frequently visited Greece, drawing inspiration for his paintings. During the period 1880–1904, he maintained a studio in Cairo, where he resided during the winter months. Together with P. Philippoteaux and other artists, he pioneered the organization of the Salon du Caire. In his will, he bequeathed to the National Gallery of Athens all the paintings with Greek themes that were in his studio.
His works, primarily Greek genre scenes and Eastern themes, belong to the context of European Orientalism and Academic Realism.