Sisley was born in Paris to rich English parents. His father William Sisley was in the silk business, and his mother Felicia Sell enjoyed music. In 1857, at the age of 18, Sisley was sent to London to study for a career in business, but he gave it up after four years and returned to Paris. In 1862 he studied at the atelier of Swiss artist Marc-Charles-Gabriel Gleyre, where he met Frédéric Bazille, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.