Why did Claude Monet leave France for London in 1870?

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Painting by Claude Monet, Self-portrait in Beret, 1886, showing Monet with a full beard, dark beret, and coat against a light, textured background. — Claude Monet *Self-Portrait with a Beret*, oil on canvas by Claude Monet, 1886; in a private collection.

In 1870, Claude Monet left France for London primarily to avoid the Franco-German War. During this period of conflict, he traveled to England, where he reunited with the artist Camille Pissarro and was introduced to the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel.12