Edgar Degas’s early life was shaped by the tension between artistic ambition and family expectation. Born in Paris, he was raised between France and Italy, pressured by his father, a wealthy banker, to pursue law and support the global family business. After the death of his mother, Celestine Musson de Gas—originally from New Orleans—Degas became the eldest caretaker of five children. His close bond with his American cousins, Estelle and Desiree, brought stories of New Orleans’s rich cultural legacy, further fueling his creative vision. In 1872, Degas traveled to New Orleans at his father’s urging, only to find the Musson family ruined by the Civil War. Deeply affected by their decline and the collapse of their cotton empire, he returned to Paris with renewed determination. This journey marked a turning point in his life, catalyzing his artistic transformation and propelling him to become a founder of the Impressionist movement.
