Early Life, Family and Training Victor Orsel was born on 25 May 1795 in Oullins, France, into a merchant family from the Dauphiné region. His upbringing was shaped by the industrious atmosphere of Lyon, where his father, Jacques Orsel, worked as a gauze manufacturer. Life in the household was shared with three brothers: André-Jacques, Jean, and Pierre Jean-Jacques. While his siblings would eventually find their own paths in civic leadership, the military, and writing, Victor’s interests were directed toward the visual arts from a young age. His formal education in painting began in 1809 at…