Edgar Degas was a famous French artist. For example, we know him for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. Today, we regard Degas as one of the founders of Impressionism. However, Degas rejected the term. At the time, he preferred to be called a realist. Degas continuously belittled the practices of Impressionist artists. However, his scenes of Parisian life, off-center compositions, and experiments with color and form, all relate him intimately with the movement. Likewise, he had close friendships with several key Impressionist artists. Furthermore, we often identify him with the subject of the dance. Consequently, he depicts dancers in over half of his works.

Degas created 33 monotypes to illustrate Ludovic Halevy’s “La Famille Cardinal”. This collection of short stories documented the backstage life of Pauline and Virginie Cardinal at the Paris Opera. Degas’ monotypes were published after his lifetime. Auguste Blaizot & Fils, Paris published the works in 1938. Leading Degas scholars Adhemar and Cachin, E.P. Janis and Jean Boggs have documented these hand-pulled etchings. The etchings from this suite are particularly important. For instance, many of the original monotypes from Edgar Degas have vanished. As a result, the etchings from this suite remain the only documentation of their existence!