Paul Poujaud, Mme. Arthur Fontaine, and Degas

Paul Poujaud, Mme. Arthur Fontaine, and Degas by Edgar Degas is a remarkable gelatin silver print created around 1895, showcasing the artist’s unique late-career exploration of the photographic medium. This intimate, unposed interior scene features three subjects: the writer and critic Paul Poujaud, Mme. Arthur Fontaine, and Degas himself. The composition places the figures close together, fostering a sense of immediate connection, while the strong contrast inherent in the gelatin silver print technique emphasizes the deep shadows and focused areas of light within the domestic setting. Degas often utilized these photographic studies for private visual analysis rather than public exhibition, treating the camera as an extension of his drawing practice.

The portraiture in this work deviates significantly from traditional nineteenth-century conventions. Degas captures his peers candidly, emphasizing their presence within a specific interior environment rather than relying on formal presentation. The utilization of the camera allowed Degas to further investigate the effects of light and shadow on his subjects, a concern that deeply informed his celebrated work in painting and pastel. As an important record of the artist’s personal and social life during the fin-de-siècle period, this photograph offers valuable insight into the Parisian intellectual and artistic circles of the time. The work is part of the extensive photographic collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, preserving this rare example of Degas’s experimentation with photographic prints.