Laundress Carrying Linen

The intimate drawing Laundress Carrying Linen by Edgar Degas captures a moment of everyday labor typical of the artist’s later career. Executed in charcoal counterproof on laid paper, this work dates from the experimental period between 1885 and 1895. This specific medium classification, drawing, and technique highlights Degas’s relentless experimentation with graphic media and transfer methods. The counterproof process involves pressing a finished drawing against a second sheet of paper to create a softer, slightly blurred mirrored image, a method the French master often employed to refine composition or explore compositional variations without redrawing the whole figure.

The period of 1876 to 1900 saw Degas frequently turn his attention to working women, isolating figures performing repetitive or private tasks away from the public eye. Unlike the grand historical subjects favored by academic art, the subject matter of the laundress highlights the contemporary working class of urban French society, reflecting a modern sensibility. This powerful piece emphasizes the weight and effort of the figure carrying a large, heavy bundle of linen, demonstrating Degas's ability to imbue routine activity with monumental dignity through simplified, energetic outlines.

The drawing is classified as a finished work and currently resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., a significant holding of the artist's graphic output. As a vital reference work for scholars studying the artist’s preparatory methods and material culture, this piece contributes greatly to the understanding of Degas’s late style. For those interested in studying this era of modern French art, high-quality digital prints of this and similar works are often made available through public domain collections.