The Nurse 1873

Edgar Degas made this oil painting, The Nurse, sometime in the late nineteenth century. It depicts a woman in dark clothing and a white bonnet, seated in a narrow hallway. Degas was a key figure in the Impressionist movement in France, a group known for challenging the traditional art establishment. Looking at the image, we can see how the dim lighting and muted colors create a somber mood. The hallway's perspective draws our eye to the background, where indistinct figures suggest a busy, perhaps institutional setting. Given Degas's interest in modern life, it's quite possible that the nurse is depicted in a hospital. At the time, nursing was emerging as a more professionalized field, yet was still associated with traditional forms of charity and religious service. The historian can bring these contexts to bear on the image, researching the history of nursing, as well as considering the artist’s social circle, in order to enrich our understanding of this painting.