Bather Stepping into a Tub
ca. 1890
Medium
Pastel and charcoal on blue laid paper, mounted at perimeter on backing board
Dimensions
22 x 18 3/4 in. (55.9 x 47.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.190
Tags
Art Historical Context
Edgar Degas's *Bather Stepping into Tub* (ca. 1890) captures an intimate moment of a woman stepping cautiously into her bath, exemplifying the artist's fascination with everyday scenes of the female form. By the late 1880s, Degas had shifted much of his focus to private bathing subjects, moving away from his earlier ballet dancers to explore vulnerability, movement, and natural poses. This work, part of his renowned bather series, reflects his Impressionist roots while embracing a more realist gaze, presenting the nude not as idealized mythology but as a candid slice of modern life. Rendered ...
About the Artist
Edgar Degas · 1834–1917
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...