Edgar Degas was born on July 19, 1834 in Paris, France. His full name was Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas. A member of an upper-middle-class family, Degas was originally destined to practice as a lawyer, which he studied for a time after finishing secondary school. In 1855, however, he enrolled at the famous School of Fine Arts, in Paris, where he studied with Louis Lamothe, a pupil of the classical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. To complete his artistic studies, Degas traveled extensively, including trips to Naples, Florence, and Rome (where he lived for three years), so that he could observe and copy the works of Renaissance masters such as Sandro Botticelli, Andrea Mantegna, and Nicolas Poussin. From his early classical education, Degas learned much in figure drawing, a skill he used to complete some impressive family portraits before 1860, most notably The Belleli Family (1859). In 1861, Degas returned to Paris, where he completed several "historical" paintings, or works with historical or biblical themes, which were then the favorite paintings of serious patrons and especially of the prestigious state art exhibition, the Salon, which took place held annually in Paris. He also began copying works by the old masters in the Louvre, which he would continue to do for many years with his historical paintings (including Jephthah's Daughter from 1861, based on an episode from the Old Testament. ) and his finely crafted portraits of friends, family, and clients, the young Degas quickly earned a great reputation among French artistic circles and never suffered from the financial problems that overwhelmed many of his colleagues. Soon, however, Degas began to move on his focus from historical painting to portraits of life in contemporary Paris. In 1862 he began painting various hippodrome scenes, including studies of horses, their mounts and chic spectators. Degas's style after the early 1860s was influenced by the emerging Impressionist movement, including his friendship with Édouard Manet, as well as his introduction to Japanese graphic art, with its striking depiction of figures. In addition to painting racing scenes, Degas began to focus on portraits of groups, especially ballerinas, who became Degas's most famous subjects. Degas served in the artillery division of the French National Guard during the Franco-Prussian War. of 1870-1871. Upon his return, he worked on even more ambitious studies of groups, often in motion, in both indoor and outdoor environments.