A white mansion at 2306 Esplanade Avenue operates as the only Edgar Degas residence open to the public worldwide: the Degas House. The French Impressionist painter lived here with his maternal relatives in 1872-1873, creating over 20 paintings during his stay. Now it’s a bed and breakfast where you sleep in rooms named after his family members and tour the studio where he worked.
Edgar Degas arrived in New Orleans in October 1872 to visit his mother’s family, the Mussons. His uncle Michel Musson ran a cotton brokerage. Degas stayed five months, painting family portraits and scenes of New Orleans cotton merchants. His painting “A Cotton Office in New Orleans” hangs in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Pau, France. He painted it in this house.
The mansion was built in 1852 on Esplanade Avenue, the street where wealthy Creole families lived before the American sector developed uptown. The bed and breakfast opened in 1997 after restoration. Nine guest rooms are named after Degas family members: Estelle, Mathilde, René, Celestine, Desiree, Pierre, Michel, Auguste, and Edgar. Rates run $179-$299 per night. Book directly through the website or phone: (504) 821-5009.
The Edgar Degas Studio Suite is the room where he painted. It has 14-foot ceilings, large windows for natural light, and space where he set up his easel. The room costs $299 per night. You’re sleeping where Impressionism happened in America.
Breakfast is included, served in the formal dining room at 8:30 am daily. The meal includes Creole dishes, coffee, juice, and pastries. The house has kept original architectural details, including ceiling medallions, pocket doors, and pine floors.
Daily tours run at 10:30 am for $25 per person, $15 for guests staying overnight. The tour covers Degas’ family history, the painter’s time in New Orleans, and how the house functioned in the 1870s. Degas went partially blind from a Civil War injury, and the New Orleans light was too bright. He returned to Paris in March 1873.
The house sits on Esplanade Avenue between North Rocheblave and North Tonti streets in the Esplanade Ridge neighborhood. It’s a 15-minute walk from the French Quarter. The Esplanade bus line stops nearby. Street parking is available and easier than in the Quarter.
Esplanade Avenue retains its 19th-century architecture with live oak trees shading the neutral ground. The avenue leads to City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art. The neighborhood is residential, quieter than tourist areas, with local restaurants and corner stores.
No other Degas residence operates as a museum or public space. His Paris apartment is private. His family’s home in France was demolished. This New Orleans house is the only place where the public can see where he lived and worked.
The house maintains period accuracy without being stuffy. Rooms have modern amenities including wifi, air conditioning, and updated bathrooms. Guests receive a key to the front door and access to common areas, including the parlor, dining room, and courtyard. The house has a small courtyard with a fountain and seating.
Book in advance during festival season and holidays. The house has limited rooms and sells out for the French Quarter Festival, Jazz Fest, and Mardi Gras. Off-season rates are lower. Check the website for package deals.
