Girl Putting on Her Stockings

Girl Putting on Her Stockings by Edgar Degas, created between 1876 and 1877, stands as a prime example of the artist's radical experimentation with print media during this period. Classified as a unique print, the artwork is a monotype rendered in black ink printed on delicate china paper, subsequently mounted on cardboard for preservation. Degas was profoundly attracted to the monotype technique, which allowed him to create dark, velvety compositions that blurred the lines between drawing and printing. By inking a smooth plate and transferring the resulting image to paper only once, the process guaranteed spontaneity and ensured that each resulting piece was singular.

This intimate depiction focuses on a female nude absorbed in a private, unposed moment, completing the everyday domestic task suggested by the title. Degas challenged academic conventions by consistently capturing women not as idealized figures, but as modern individuals often observed in unguarded moments of personal grooming or preparation. The dark, dense quality of the ink emphasizes the figure's contour and mass while minimizing extraneous detail, lending the scene an air of secretive observation. Girl Putting on Her Stockings is celebrated for its technical mastery and its role in defining the Impressionist commitment to realism and modern subject matter. This important work is part of the extensive collection of prints and drawings housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.