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A Woman Ironing

1873
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 815
Much as Degas was fascinated by the movements of dancers, he was also intrigued by the repetitive, specialized gestures made by laundresses as they worked. This painting, the first of three versions of the composition, is distinguished by its dramatic chiaroscuro, with the woman silhouetted against a luminous white backdrop. Purchased by the singer and collector Jean-Baptiste Faure, the canvas was returned so that Degas could rework it. The artist, however, kept the picture and lent it to the 1876 Impressionist exhibition, receiving praise for his "rapidly done silhouettes of laundresses."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Woman Ironing
  • Artist: Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)
  • Date: 1873
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 21 3/8 x 15 1/2 in. (54.3 x 39.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
  • Object Number: 29.100.46
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, Edgar Degas French, Partially tinted bronze, cotton tarlatan, silk satin, and wood, French, Paris
The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer
Edgar Degas
Founder Cast by A. A. Hébrard
modeled 1881, cast 1922, modern tutu
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century
The Spanish Singer, Edouard Manet French, Oil on canvas
The Spanish Singer
Edouard Manet
1860
The Dance Class, Edgar Degas French, Oil on canvas
The Dance Class
Edgar Degas
1874
Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat, Edgar Degas French, Graphite and black chalk
Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat
Edgar Degas
Sitter Edouard Manet
ca. 1868

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