Self Portrait in a Soft Hat 1858

Edgar Degas’s *Self Portrait in a Soft Hat*, painted in 1858, shows the artist as a young man in a soft-brimmed hat and a dark jacket. The loose brushstrokes and dark background highlight his penetrating gaze, suggesting a contemplative and serious nature. The painting, now housed at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, offers a glimpse into Degas’s early style, which would later evolve into his signature Impressionistic compositions of dancers and other subjects.