UIAD GOES TO LOUISIANA: 18 (D-44) Again places and people: Degas

Did you know that Edgar Degas' mother was a Creole from Louisiana? Degas traveled to New Orleans during the autumn of 1872 to spend a few months visiting the considerable American branch of his family. His visit is something of a legend in this city. Some people from New Orleans may ignore historical accuracy, but many French people don't even know that Degas is linked to New Orleans.
He arrived in New Orleans when he was having difficulties professionally, but he left the city with a sense of direction and determination. He also took with him, in his portfolio and in his mind, several unforgettable images of New Orleans life. Degas was the only major French painter of the Impressionist generation to travel to the United States and paint what he saw there.

Degas liked to call himself a "fils de Louisiane". His mother, Celestine Musson Degas, had been born in New Orleans into a prominent Creole family. Over the centuries, "Creole" has meant many different things. For the Degas-Musson family it meant that Celestine was descended from some of the original French and Spanish settlers of New Orleans.