Breakfast after Bathing 1894

Edgar Degas created "Breakfast after Bathing" without providing us a date, using pastel on paper. Degas was a man of his time, situated within the late 19th century Parisian art scene. He often depicted women in intimate, domestic settings, a reflection of the era’s limited roles afforded to women in public life. Here, we see the unidealized female nude, a choice that challenges the romanticized portrayals common in academic art. But the image raises questions about the gaze - who is invited to look, and what does it mean to witness this private moment? The presence of the maid introduces a class dimension, suggesting a world where the wealthy woman's comfort is enabled by the labor of another. The positioning of the figures, with the bather foregrounded and the maid in the background, creates a layered narrative about the experience of women in the 19th century. It is in these quiet moments that the complexities of gender, class, and identity quietly unfold.