Breakfast after Bath 1898

Edgar Degas created this pastel drawing, Breakfast after Bath, sometime in his career. A bather occupies the left of the composition, being attended by a maidservant offering her mistress a cup of tea. The maid's gesture is worth our attention. We see such gestures across time and place, for example, ancient Greek amphorae portray servants attending elite women in a similar fashion. This motif tells a story of intimacy and domesticity, yet, if we peer into the subconscious, we note it is also one of service and class differences. The act of offering sustenance, often tea, is loaded with social implications. In contrast, the bather, absorbed in her ablutions, turns her back to us, seemingly unaware of the maid's presence. This can be seen repeated in the renaissance in paintings such as 'Venus at her Toilette'. In both these cases, we see this gesture has resurfaced, evolved, and taken on new meanings in different historical contexts. The simple act of serving tea becomes a potent symbol of cultural memory.