Woman by a Fireplace 1880 - 1890

Edgar Degas created this print, *Woman by a Fireplace,* using etching and aquatint. The image depicts a domestic scene in late nineteenth-century France, a woman tending to someone lying in bed. What might seem like a tender moment is also fraught with the complexities of social class and gender. The setting is a comfortable interior, but the figures are shrouded in shadow, their expressions and relationship unclear. The woman's dark dress and the somber tones may hint at her social standing, possibly a servant or caregiver, while the person in bed could be the mistress of the house, or a child, depending on the nature of their co-dependence. Degas was interested in the changing social roles of women. Was he commenting on the plight of those who were employed in domestic service? Or the ill health that kept women confined to the domestic sphere? Art historians consult letters, diaries, and household records to more fully understand this world. The meaning of this image, like much art, is rooted in its specific cultural and institutional moment.