Edgar Degas and Maxime Dethomas are connected through the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Although Lautrec very much looked up to the work of Degas, and Degas acknowledged the work of Lautrec, they did not run in the same circles. Degas in particular preferred to keep to himself. Lautrec, on the other hand, was a bit of a lush. He would go out drinking in Montmartre with his buddies, namely Maxime Dethomas and Romain Coolus. Dethomas' early style suggests he was influenced by Degas, although I doubt they knew each other at the time. More likely, the two came in contact through Lautrec, in the mid 1890s. This would be consistent with the dates for when Degas first commented on Lautrec's canvases, and for when Lautrec and Dethomas became good friends. I do know that Dethomas and Degas knew each other, and seemed to respect each others work, although how close they were is difficult to say. They were both in attendance at various dinners and functions, and both did work around ballerinas in Paris, but I cannot paint a complete picture of their relationship. I will check on book sources, although I imagine the best sources lie in various correspondences and personal accounts, which may not yet be translated from French.