The Millinery Shop

1879-86

When this work was painted, millinery work (hat making) was considered a prestigious trade, elevating the women who succeeded in the business. Degas addressed this subtle shift in the class hierarchy: He gave his milliner a dress nice enough to be worn by an affluent woman, and though she does not wear the expected hat of a high-class lady, Degas playfully positioned the hat with green trimmings so it seems to sit atop the woman’s head.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)

Date

1879-86

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

100 × 110.7 cm (39 3/8 × 43 9/16 in.); Framed: 132.1 × 142.3 × 9.6 cm (52 × 56 × 3 3/4 in.)

Origin

France

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection