Alfred de Dreux was born in 1810 into a privileged and colourful family.Fine American and European Paintings and Sculptures, [HGAF Fine Art Dallas Auction Catalog], 2007, p.207 He was the first child and only son of the architect, Pierre-Anne Dedreux (1788-1834).Michael, B., Graves, R. E. and Armstrong, W., Dictionary of Painters and Engravers: Biographical and Critical, London, G. Bell and Sons, 1886, p. 354 His sister, Élise (1812-1846) was the mother of writer Louis Becq de Fouquières. After his father won the Prix de Rome for architecture in 1815, he lived at the Villa Médicis in Rome. While there, Théodore Géricault, a friend of the family, made portraits of him (pictured) and Élise.
