 A few days after Painlevé was born, his mother, Marguerite Petit de Villeneuve, died from complications arising from an infection contracted during childbirth.Painlevé, an only son, was raised by his father's sister Marie, a widow.In the "Lycée Louis Le Grand", he was a poor and inattentive student who preferred to skip classes and go to the "Jardin d'Acclimatation" where he was assisting the guard in taking care of the animals.