“Louisiana must be respected by all her children,…and I am almost one of them.” ~Edgar Degas to Henri Rouart, 1872
One of New Orleans’ most famous temporary residents was renowned impressionist Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas. Following the American Civil War, at the age of 38, Degas, a Parisian by birth and the son of Celestine Musson De Gas a member of a prominent New Orleans Creole family, arrived for an extended stay in New Orleans in 1872. Though suffering problems with his eyesight, his time in New Orleans would provide him with new subjects for his work, and result in the creation of 18 paintings referred to as his New Orleans Collection.