Dancer in Blue at the Barre 1889

Edgar Degas made this pastel drawing of a dancer in blue at the barre in late 19th century France. Ballet was extremely popular, and the Paris Opera was an important cultural institution, but what was less visible to the public were the lives of the young women who formed the corps de ballet. Degas's image hints at this reality. Instead of an idealized ballerina on stage, we see a girl in a practice room, with a slightly awkward posture. Degas was fascinated by movement and the human body, but he also shows us the ballet as a kind of workplace. Nineteenth-century ballet dancers were often working-class women, who had to endure grueling training, and were vulnerable to exploitation. The world of the opera was a highly gendered social space, and it is important to remember that most of the wealthy subscribers were men. To understand this image better, we might want to look at archival sources, such as photographs and newspapers. These can help us to better appreciate the cultural and institutional context in which Degas was working.