Woman in a Ruffled Cap (Dame agée)

Woman in a Ruffled Cap (Dame agée) by Edgar Degas is a notable early graphic work, executed as an etching between 1859 and 1860. Created during a foundational phase of the artist's career, this piece exemplifies his initial dedication to the study of master printmakers while simultaneously foreshadowing his later psychological realism. The work falls within the important period of 1851 to 1875, when French art was shifting dramatically from academic conventions toward modern observations of daily life.

The subject is an older woman depicted in profile, wearing a high, ruffled cap that frames her face sharply. Degas utilizes the etching technique to achieve a precise definition of form and texture. Unlike the fluid, light-filled scenes that would define his Impressionist phase later, this early print relies on strong hatching and deep shadows, emphasizing the character's serious or contemplative expression. The meticulous detail in the cap and the facial features suggests a deep engagement with portraiture, a genre Degas explored extensively throughout his subsequent career.

Classified specifically as a print, Woman in a Ruffled Cap demonstrates Degas’s technical experimentation with the graphic arts, a field he consistently revisited. This early period of exploration informed his famous later depictions of Parisian life. As a key example of mid-19th century French graphic arts, the piece is held in the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art. The long-standing preservation and accessibility of historical prints means that high-resolution images of this work are often available through public domain resources, allowing broader study of Degas’s artistic and technical evolution.