Laundry Girls Ironing 1884

Edgar Degas’s "Laundry Girls Ironing" from 1884, currently housed in the Musée d’Orsay, captures a candid moment in the lives of working women. The pastel painting depicts two figures, one yawning with her hand behind her head and the other bent over, ironing, likely a depiction of the repetitive and monotonous nature of their work. Degas was renowned for his depictions of daily life, particularly focusing on dancers and ordinary people, capturing a sense of movement and realism. This artwork is characteristic of his interest in portraying the lives of those often overlooked by the elite.