The practice of monochrome began to disconnect from its original function in the mid-19th century. Only the works of Puvis de Chavannes and Couture an be considered sketches, though the latter is more a studio study.

Puvis considered himself to be heir to the great European decorators of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Monochrome lends itself to his painting style of flat tints with sculpted effects. Tissot, Moreau and Ribot also looked to the past, each searching for different elements. Tissot sought to interpret in a single tone one of the most vivid portraits by Ingres, Moreau left a visionary mark on a traditional historical subject, Ribot turned to the Spanish great painters of the Golden Age but kept only the outline.

Carpeaux, better known as a sculptor, was also an inspired and impetuous painter. He often used grisaille for portraits, interpretations of his sculptures, and dramatic scenes such as the Birth Scene. The painting of Daumier, very personal in nature, often tends to a certain monochromaticity, as in his portrayals of Don Quichote episodes. All of Carrière’s work (The Portrait of Mrs Auguste Bonheur belongs in particular to the collections of the musée des Augustins) centers on brown and gray harmonies with a very characteristic hazy effect, which prompted Degas to remark, "They have been smoking again in the children’s bedroom.”