The Laundresses

The Laundresses by Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917) is a significant print created between 1879 and 1880, illustrating the artist’s dedicated exploration of the lives of working women in late 19th-century France. This particular classification is an etching and aquatint executed on cream laid paper, a medium that Degas leveraged for its ability to capture texture, tone, and sharp contrast. While often associated with the Impressionists, Degas distinguished himself by focusing not on outdoor landscapes, but on scenes of private labor-domestic, and frequently difficult-work performed by laundresses, milliners, and dancers.

The late 1870s marked a creative period when Degas intensified his work in graphic arts, utilizing prints as a primary medium for formal experimentation rather than just reproductive purposes. This technique, combining the fine lines of etching with the dense, velvety texture of aquatint, allowed Degas to render his figures caught in momentary, authentic, and often awkward poses characteristic of physical labor. The tonal density created by the aquatint gives the scene a sense of shadow and weight, emphasizing the exhaustion inherent in the subject matter.

As a pivotal figure in the development of Modern art in France, Degas’s meticulous study of movement and his commitment to portraying ordinary life elevated genre scenes to high art. This original impression of the print remains a key example of the artist’s mastery of the graphic medium, demonstrating his profound influence on subsequent generations of artists. This important work is currently housed in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, contributing to the museum’s extensive holdings of 19th-century French prints.