The original collections of the Museum d'Orsay were made up of various previous collections or parts of collections from other museums.

Among them was the collection of the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, whose building was intended for a different purpose. It was a rich collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings by French Impressionists. Many of the works came from the Louvre (works by artists born after 1820), as well as from the Musée National d'Art Moderne (now the Centre Pompidou), from which came works by artists born before 1870.