The Little Dressing Room

"The Little Dressing Room," created by Edgar Degas French, 1834-1917, between 1879 and 1880, is an important example of the artist's intense engagement with the graphic arts during a highly experimental phase of his career. Classified as a print, this composition utilizes the complex technique of drypoint, rendered in black on tan Japanese paper. The drypoint process involves the artist drawing directly onto the copper plate with a sharp point, displacing metal to create a burr. This technique yields a characteristically rich, velvety line quality that gives the impression a sense of depth and immediate texture.

Degas frequently explored the private, unposed realities of dancers and laundresses, capturing moments away from public scrutiny. This work is part of a broader series where the artist observed figures engaged in rest or preparation within the enclosed confines of the dressing room—a hallmark subject reflecting the modernist fascination with contemporary Parisian life in late 19th-century France. The choice of the drypoint medium enhances the immediacy and intimacy of the scene, reflecting the quick, observational spontaneity often associated with Degas’s preparatory drawings.

This commitment to capturing fleeting, domestic scenes established Degas as a central figure in the shift toward Realism and Impressionism. Although many of Degas's prints were initially created for private circulation or limited editions, they demonstrate the rapid evolution of prints as a major artistic medium in France during this era. Today, this key impression of The Little Dressing Room is held in the prestigious collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it remains accessible to scholars and the public. Like many works of this period, high-resolution reproductions of these prints often enter the public domain, ensuring their continued study globally.