Dancer with a Fan 1880

Edgar Degas rendered this image of a dancer with a fan using charcoal and pastel. The fan, an object of both cultural and personal significance, conceals and reveals aspects of the dancer’s identity. During the late 19th century, the era in which Degas worked, ballet was deeply entwined with the socio-economic structures of Paris. Many dancers came from impoverished backgrounds and ballet was one of the only ways to obtain a certain level of social mobility. Yet they were often seen as easy targets for wealthy male patrons. The ballet, therefore, was a highly gendered and classed space. Degas, however, resists these stereotypes by individualizing the dancer and highlighting her skill and poise.   The dancer’s upward gaze and the fan shielding her face evoke a sense of privacy, but it also conveys an emotional complexity, inviting viewers to contemplate the dreams, aspirations, and challenges faced by these women within the rigid confines of the ballet world.