Artwork
Girl in Red
Girl in Red is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1866 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Edgar Degas executed Girl in Red in 1866 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 98.9 cm in height and 80.8 cm in width. Classified as a portrait, the painting demonstrates the artist's handling of oil on canvas during this period.
The physical object remains in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, having been bequeathed by Chester Dale in 1963.
History & Provenance
It was then sold at the posthumous René de Gas sale in Paris on 10 November 1927 and purchased by Galerie Georges Petit, which placed it with Wildenstein & Co.
Executed in 1866, the portrait was retained by the artist’s family until 1927. It was then sold at the posthumous René de Gas sale in Paris on 10 November 1927 and purchased by Galerie Georges Petit, which placed it with Wildenstein & Co. by 1934.
The work was acquired from Wildenstein by Chester Dale in 1943 and bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1963.
Edgar Degas's Girl in Red is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it was bequeathed in 1963 by Chester Dale. Dale originally purchased the 1866 oil on canvas in 1943, having acquired it from the Wildenstein & Co. galleries. Prior to Dale's ownership, the work passed through the hands of the artist's brother, René de Gas, and was sold at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris in 1927 before being purchased by Galerie Georges Petit.
The painting was lent by Wildenstein & Co. to an exhibition at the Marie Harriman Gallery in 1934.
Context
Edgar Degas painted Girl in Red in 1866, a portrait exemplifying his early exploration of intimate domestic scenes and loose brushwork that would later define his Impressionist output. The work entered the collection of Chester Dale, whose bequest established its presence at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains part of the permanent holdings. Scholarship underscores its significance within Degas’s oeuvre as a study of figure placement and color harmony, reflecting broader 19th-century French portraiture traditions.
Overview
Created circa 1866, Girl in Red is an oil on canvas by the French painter Edgar Degas. Though often linked to Impressionism, Degas identified himself with Realist principles, emphasizing observation over idealization. The work presents a solitary female figure rendered with a focus on surface detail and tonal contrast.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a woman dressed in a vivid red gown with a high collar and fur trim, her hair neatly gathered. She holds a small fur muff, suggesting a moment of private poise. The dark, unadorned backdrop isolates the figure, directing attention to her attire and demeanor.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
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