Historic meeting of French impressionists recreated in Paris exhibition

Immersive tour at Musee d'Orsay takes visitors back to 15 April 1874 - the moment that marked the movement's birth

In a lush red-and-gold carpeted photographer's studio in northern Paris, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas are adding the final touches to the hanging of their paintings, while fellow artists Berthe Morisot and Camille Pissarro lament the lack of recognition for their work and Claude Monet bemoans being mistaken for Edouard Manet.

Outside, Parisian gentlemen in top hats and ladies in bustles are admiring the newly completed Opera House or enjoying an early evening drink on the cafe terraces while horse-drawn carriages clatter down Baron Haussmann's new grands boulevards.