Camille Pisarro

Jacob-Abraham Camille Pissarro was born on July 10, 1830 on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, located in the Danish West Indies. His parents, Abraham Gabriel Pissarro was of Morrano Jewish decent and his mother Rachel Manzano-Pomie was a Dominican local of Spanish decent , operated a dry goods store.  The structure now stands at #14 Dronnigens Gade in the Queens Quarter, Charlotte Amalie, and overlooks the main street of the town. The family’s residence resides on the second floor of the building that is a spacious apartment with large shuttered windows that coupled with the high ceiling allows the cool breeze to pass through cooling the interior on hot summer days. He was well versed in speaking French which they spoke at home, English with the frequent travelers to their island and Spanish with the mainly Negro population of the island. The location of the Island within the trade winds and the port being a “Free Port” made it a destination for many trade vessels from many lands that has led to his early exposure to other cultures.