Together with his other brother Achille Degas and his father in law he managed the Degas-Musson cotton firm. René and his large extended family lived in an elegant Southern mansion. In 1872 Edgar went to stay with René and Estelle and their children in New Orleans for several months. René checks cotton prices in the paper, his father in law checks the cotton.Įdgar and René did not fall out over this however. In 1865 René took Estelle and her mother and sister back to New Orleans, married Estelle and started working for his late mother’s family’s cotton firm Degas-Musson. René, his charming and philandering brother was less respectful and started to persue her. But Estelle was in mourning over the loss of her husband. Edgar Degas, selfportrait, aged 23Įdgar, the shy young painter, fell in love with his cousin. They stayed with their cousin Edgar, whose deceased mother was their aunt. She fled the war in New Orleans and travelled to Paris with her young baby, mother and sister. Estelle was a 19 years old and had just lost her husband in the American Civil War. Lets put Estelle’s former home on the bucket list for now! Estelle Degas, 1871Įstelle Musson Balfour (1843-1909) and Edgar Degas met for the first time in 1863. And as a young painter who lost his one and only love Estelle to his charming brother René. As the son of a wealthy French businessman and his American wife. But in the recently published novel ‘Mrs Degas’ Edgar comes to life as a person. Hearing the name of Edgar Degas, we all think of paintings of Parisian ballet dancers.
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