| A Cotton Office in New Orleans | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Edgar Degas |
| Year | 1873 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Location | Musée des beaux-arts de Pau, France |
| Dimensions | 29 in × 36 in |
| 73 cm × 92 cm | |
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A Cotton Office in New Orleans is an oil painting by Edgar Degas and one of the most important images of 19th century capitalism. The 1873 painting was the first one by Degas to be purchased by a Museum. This painting portrays his uncle’s cotton brokerage business when it went bankrupt during an economic crash.
Here, Degas’ Uncle, Musson, is seen groping the quality of raw cotton, while Degas’ brother Achille is resting against a window at the left. His brother Rene is reading a newspaper while several other people go about their activities.
History Behind the Painting
Degas had traveled with his brother Rene in late 1872 from Europe to New Orleans to visit his uncle Michael Musson. Degas was to travel back to Europe in January 1873 but his trip was delayed.
He therefore decided to paint A-Cotton-Office-in-New-Orleans with the intention of selling it later to a British textile manufacturer. The hope of selling the artwork was ended after there was a decline in art and cotton market. Later on in 1873, in the 2nd Impressionist show in Paris, he exhibited the painting and then sold it in 1878 to the Museum of Fine Arts (Musee des Beaux-Arts in French) in Pau, France.