Camille Pissarro Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), born in the French Virgin Islands, was a groundbreaking French impressionists painter known for his urban and rural scenes and his portrayals of working people. In his middle years as an artist, he pioneered the distinctive style known as pointillism. A patriarch among the impressionists, Pissarro mentored Cézanne and Gaugin. He married Julie Vellay, originally a maid in his mother's household; they had eight children. All six children who survived to adulthood painted, in particular his son Lucien, mentioned in this letter, who became an artist of note. Pissarro moved to Eragny, 16 miles northwest of central Paris, in 1884, living there until his death. In his day, Eragny still offered rural landscapes, and many of his best known works were painted there. A few months after this letter was written, a large-scale retrospective exhibition increased his international fame and popularity.