| 1852 | set up his studio in the house of his father, a cultured banker of aristocratic extraction. |
| 1853-1855 | studied with F. Barrias and L. Lamothe and attended the College of Art. |
| 1854-1859 | several trips to Italy, some of the time visiting relatives; studied the Old Masters, painted history pictures and realistic portraits. |
| 1861 | started his innovative choice of subject matter with his pictures of horse racing. |
| 1862 | formed friendships with Manet and Duranty. |
| 1865 | his last history picture was exhibited at the Salon; met Renoir, Monet and others; became a frequent customer at the Cafe Guerbois. |
| 1868 | travelled to London with Manet; began to paint scenes from music and dance theatre with unusual points of view and visual angles. |
| 1869 | exhibited at the Salon for the last time; visited Belgium. |
| 1870/71 | soldier in Paris; during the Commune he stayed with friends in Normandy; began to have problems with his eyes. |
| 1872/73 | visited relatives in New Orleans. |
| 1874 | helped organise the 1st Impressionist exhibition; attended meetings at the Cafe de la Nouvelle-Athenes. |
| 1875 | went to Italy. |
| From 1876 to 1881 | he took part in the Impressionist exhibitions (2nd to 6th). Led the group of socially critical Realists; became friends with Cassatt; experimented with graphic techniques and with photography. |
| 1878 | first purchase of one of his pictures by a museum. |
| 1880 | trip to Spain. 1881 exhibited a sculpture at the 6th Impressionist exhibition. |
| 1882 | refused to take part in the 7th Impressionist exhibition due to a dispute. |
| 1883 | exhibited at Durand-Ruel's in London and New York. |
| 1886 | took part in the last group exhibition by the Impressionists. |
| 1889 | travelled in Spain and Morocco. |
| 1892 | his only one-man exhibition at Durand-Ruel's. The rapid worsening of his eye condition caused him to shun all society; he drew pastels, modelled statues in wax and extended his art collection. |
| 1900 | exhibited at the Paris World Fair. |
| 1909-1911 | due to failing eyesight, he stopped work completely. |
