Early Life, Family and Training Born Isabelle Marie Françoise Corr, Fanny Geefs was a Belgian painter of Irish descent. Her origins remain a matter of slight historical ambiguity, with records suggesting her birth occurred in either Dublin or Brussels. She was the sister of the Irish engraver Erin Corr, and her early years were marked by an early inclination toward the visual arts. By the time she reached adulthood, she had already begun to cultivate the technical skills that would define her career. Her formal development took a significant step forward in the 1830s when she entered the st…