Jockey 1866 - 1868

Edgar Degas rendered this drawing of a seated jockey with a graphite pencil. Degas’s work often offered a window into the world of Parisian life, especially its theaters and racecourses. In nineteenth-century France, horse racing was an arena where class distinctions were both reinforced and blurred. Aristocrats and the upper bourgeoisie owned the horses, while the jockeys often came from working-class backgrounds. This drawing captures a quiet, reflective moment, far from the spectacle of the race. Degas's choice of subject reflects his interest in the human figure in motion, but also the social dynamics at play in these settings. We might consider the artist's own privileged position as he observes and represents those from different social strata. In this sense, the drawing is not just a study of a jockey, but also a subtle commentary on class and identity in the rapidly changing society of late nineteenth-century France.