Mlle Bécat at the Café des Ambassadeurs: Three Motifs

Mlle Bécat at the Café des Ambassadeurs: Three Motifs by Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917, is a sophisticated example of experimental 19th-century French printmaking. Executed between 1870 and 1880, the artwork is a lithograph, meticulously transferred from monotypes onto ivory wove paper. This complex classification as a print highlights Degas’s technical innovation and his constant search for methods that could capture the immediacy and texture he sought in his visual narratives.

The unusual combination of monotype and lithography allowed the artist to achieve a rich density and greater control over tonal variation, methods ideally suited to exploring the atmospheric effects of Parisian nightlife. Unlike traditional etching, this technique blurred lines between drawing and printing, enabling Degas to emphasize expression and fleeting movement rather than strict outline.

The subject, Mlle Bécat, likely a café-concert performer, is depicted in three distinct motifs or poses across the composition. This sequential study of character embodies Degas’s enduring fascination with contemporary urban subjects and the private actions captured within public spaces. He frequently positioned the viewer as an observer of the spectacles and performers that populated the demi-monde of late 19th-century France.

As a critical work showcasing Degas’s mastery of the print medium, this piece is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Given the age and historical significance of works from this period, high-quality images and scholarly information regarding these influential lithograph prints are often available through public domain resources.