
Edgar DegasFrench, 1834–1917May one see it?
Washington, D.C., United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
1881
“The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years” on show
The nearly life-size wax figure with real hair and a cloth tutu, modelled on Marie van Goethem, provoked a strong reaction: critics found its realism extraordinary, but many denounced the dancer as ugly. It was the only sculpture Degas showed in his lifetime.
1881
The pastels “Criminal Physiognomies”
Degas attended the trial of the young gang members convicted of murder in the Abadie affair, sketchbook in hand, and in 1881 exhibited two pastels, “Criminal Physiognomies”. The drawings reveal his interest in features that some nineteenth-century scientists took as evidence of innate criminality.
by 1882
His eyesight sharply worsens
By 1882 Degas's eyesight began to worsen sharply: he turned to pastel and then to sculpture, where he could rely more on touch.