James Tissot

Son of a fabric merchant, Tissot left for Paris in 1856 in order to study at the École des Beaux-Arts under Louis Lamothe (1822-1869) and Hippolyte Flandrin (1809-1864). Just like Alma Tadema (q.v.), Tissot, in his early career, was influenced by Belgian history painter Henry Leys (1815-1869), which resulted in such paintings as those illustrating Goethe's Faust (1808-32). In Paris he became close friends with J. A. M. Whistler (1834-1903), Degas (q.v.), and later Morisot (q.v.) and Manet (q.v.). Tissot made his debut at the Salon of 1859, and in 1864 he showed his first works depicting...