In January 1902 Enoch Bennett died, after a decline into dementia. His widow chose to move back to Burslem and Bennett's sister married shortly afterwards. With no dependants, Bennett decided to move to Paris, where he took up residence in March. His reasons for doing so are not clear. Drabble speculates that perhaps "he was hoping for some kind of liberation. He was thirty-five and unmarried"; Lucas writes that it was almost certainly Bennett's desire to be recognised as a serious artist that prompted his move; according to Frank Swinnerton, Bennett was following in the footsteps of George Moore by going to live in "the home of modern realism"; in Reginald Pound's view it was "to begin his career as a man of the world". The 9th arrondissement of Paris was Bennett's home for the next five years, first in the rue de Calais, near the Place Pigalle, and then the more upmarket rue d'Aumale.