Head and Shoulders of a Young Woman in Profile I
ca. 1879
Medium
Softground etching; printed from canceled plate
Dimensions
sheet: 12 7/8 x 9 13/16 in. (32.7 x 24.9 cm) plate: 3 3/16 x 2 13/16 in. (8.1 x 7.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1968
Accession Number
68.673.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
Edgar Degas, a leading French Impressionist, captured the delicate profile of a young woman in this intimate print from around 1879. Titled *Head and Shoulders of Young Woman in Profile I it exemplifies Degas's fascination with female subjects, often depicted with a keen eye for posture and expression. During the late 1870s, Degas was deeply engaged in the Impressionist movement, blending everyday scenes with innovative techniques, though he preferred working in his studio rather than en plein air. This work is a softground etching, a method where Degas drew on paper laid over a plate coated ...
About the Artist
Edgar Degas · 1834–1917
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...