The Early Life of Henri Matisse Henri Matisse arrived on December 31, 1869, in a weaver's cottage on rue du Chêne Arnaud. This small house in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France, was the starting point for a life that would eventually move far from the quietude of the Nord department. He was the oldest son of a wealthy grain merchant, born into a family that dealt in the steady, practical trade of the land. His early years were spent in Bohain-en-Vermandois, Picardie, France, a place where the rhythms of life were dictated by the seasons and the needs of the family business. The environment of his…