The Cotton Exchange at New Orleans by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas

The Cotton Exchange at New Orleans (1873) is the result of Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas's visit to his maternal family in New Orleans in 1872. His slice-of-life depiction of the Cotton Exchange contains several family portraits, including his brother Achille resting against the open window at the left and their uncle Michael polishing his spectacles in the foreground. No detail escaped Degas's scrutiny, from the dealers inspecting the quality of the cotton to the clerks hovering over paperwork at their desks.

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas's The Cotton Exchange at New Orleans is an oil on canvas (28-3/4 x 36-1/4 inches) that can be seen at Musée Municipal de Pau, France.

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas was, however, the embodiment of le flaneur and mostly painted Parisian life as seen in the next Impressionist painting.

For more on Impressionist paintings, artists, and art history, see:

• Impressionism
• Vincent van Gogh
• Claude Monet