The Dancing Life

Who are the young dancers in Degas’ ballet paintings? We know the names of only a few. But many of them came from working-class families and became dancers at the Opera-Ballet to add to their parents’ income. Some of their mothers were the laundresses Degas depicted in his art; their fathers may have been tailors, factory workers, or day laborers.

Degas, himself from a wealthy family, wrote in his diary: "It is among the common people that you find grace." Throughout his career the artist made images of milliners, laundresses, and dancers, finding great dignity in honest labor.