Madame Théodore Gobillard (Yves Morisot, 1838–1893)

Art Historical Context

Edgar Degas painted this intimate portrait of Madame Théodore Gobillard, born Yves Morisot, in 1869. The subject was the sister of Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot, placing the work within the close-knit artistic circles of mid-nineteenth-century Paris. Created just a few years before the first Impressionist exhibition, the painting reflects Degas’s early interest in portraiture and domestic scenes rather than the outdoor landscapes more commonly associated with the movement. Executed in oil on canvas, the modestly sized work captures its sitter in a quiet interior, emphasizing subtle gestures and the textures of clothing and furnishings. Degas’s precise yet sensitive handling of paint reveals his academic training while hinting at the innovative approach to composition he would develop throughout his career. The painting’s presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s European Paintings collection, acquired through the Havemeyer bequest, underscores its enduring value as both a personal likeness and a window into the social world of the emerging Impressionist generation.

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 ...