Degas at the Races: Paintings and Drawings

Children and Ponies in a Park, 1867-1868, oil on canvas, From the Collection of Joan Whitney Payson previous next back to paintings and drawings

Paintings like this one, Children and Ponies in a Park, reveal more about Degas than his more public works. Always a very private artist, Degas guarded his independence fiercely. He was loyal to friends such as the Valpinçon family, with whom he was very close. He vacationed with them and spent quite a bit of time at their estate in Normandy, at Ménil-Hubert. While there, Degas probably saw a lot of horseraces. The estate is not very far from the great stud farm at Le-Pin, which also had a racetrack that specialized in the steeplechase. Members of this family appear in some of Degas' more intimate works, many of them depictions of family life.

Although the figures cannot be identified with complete certainty, they are probably the Valpinçon children. Degas' image of them is innocent, sweet. They are in a park, perhaps on the estate grounds. The children are at play. One girl rides a pony, leaping over grass in a whimsical imitation of the steeplechase. Another child rides off in a different direction, and a third girl tries to encourage her burro to stand up, without much success.

This moment, full of charm and humor, is something that Degas may have witnessed. The painting was never meant for public exhibition, but rather to be enjoyed by Degas and his intimates.