Early Life and Artistic Beginnings in Cuba Esteban Sebastian Chartrand Dubois, born October 11, 1840, in the Limonar province of Matanzas, Cuba, emerged from a family deeply intertwined with both the prosperity of the sugar industry and an appreciation for the finer arts. His early life was significantly shaped by his mother, Luisa Carlota Dubois, a woman of considerable education who instilled in him a love for music – she was a skilled pianist – and portrait painting. This nurturing environment fostered a natural inclination towards artistic expression from a young age, setting the stage f…