Edgar DegasFrench, 1834–1917The Morning Bath
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Morning Bath” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Later in his career Edgar Degas began using pastel more frequently and created some two hundred pastel drawings of bathers, including this example, which shows a woman stepping into a tub. The soft and crumbly consistency of this medium allowed him to both blend colors and apply more assertive marks that remain distinct. Here, the combination of these effects is evident in his handling of the various fabrics throughout. The woman is shown mid-step, her left leg already inside the tub and her right arm clutching the curtain to maintain her balance. Disheveled bedsheets and rumpled pillow sit between the viewer and the woman, adding a voyeuristic feel to this view of a private morning ritual.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0 / public domain (AIC image API)
In the life of Edgar Degas
The whole life1886
The eighth exhibition: pastel nudes, and the end of the group
At the last Impressionist exhibition Degas showed a suite of pastel nudes, which drew more critical writing than anything else in his lifetime, mostly laudatory. The group broke up, partly through rancour over the inclusion of non-Impressionists such as Forain and Raffaëlli.
after 1886
Into the shadows: he stops exhibiting
After 1886 Degas stopped exhibiting and sold his pictures at high prices through a narrow circle of agents. By the end of the decade he had in effect fulfilled his wish to be “famous and unknown”, withdrawing among close friends.
late 1880s
A passion for photography
Degas photographed his friends, often by lamplight, as in the double portrait of Renoir and Mallarmé. Photographs of dancers and nudes served as references for his drawings and paintings.
