France, 19th century / c. 1880s
In the Salon
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs In the Salon as print (France, 19th century · c. 1880s).
Edgar Degas's series of brothel monotypes was never exhibited during his lifetime and remained in the privacy of the artist's studio until his death.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this print as monotype and credits Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917).
The museum's collection notes: Edgar Degas's series of monotypes depicting brothels depicted a hidden aspect of Parisian life. Degas's interest in the subject paralleled the theme of the prostitute in naturalist novels of the era by Emile Zola and Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, and echoed the then-contemporary debate about the regulation—or abolition—of prostitution in Paris. In this print, three women await their clients under a luminous globed chandelier. A standing figure reaches out her left arm as if to beckon an unseen visitor.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtIn the SalonOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.