Who painted Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935)?

Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935) was painted by Edgar Degas in 1867-01-01.

Where can I see Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935)?

Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935) is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935)?

Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935) is associated with Realism.

Can I buy a print of Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935)?

Museum-quality prints of Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935) are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Mademoiselle Marie Dihau (1843–1935) by Edgar Degas (1867)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The composition thus conveys both personal farewell and the intimate cultural milieu of Parisian artists, emphasizing transience and camaraderie.

The work portrays Marie Dihau, a young woman of the 1860s, rendered in a three‑quarter profile while seated at a café table; she holds a small handbag and wears a hat and tightly buttoned coat, suggesting she is preparing to depart. The placement of an empty plate marks the conclusion of a shared meal, and the surrounding setting of the restaurant of La Mère Lefèbvre links the portrait to Degas’s circle of musician friends, including her brother Désiré. The composition thus conveys both personal farewell and the intimate cultural milieu of Parisian artists, emphasizing transience and camaraderie.

Technique & Style

Mademoiselle Marie Dihau is an oil painting on canvas executed by Edgar Degas between 1867 and 1868. The work measures 22.2 cm in height and 27.3 cm in width. Stylistically, the portrait is characterized by a rapid execution, described as being quickly traced to comfort the sitter during her travels.

Degas employs a formal composition that frames the subject in profile, capturing her melancholic expression as she prepares to depart. The handling of the medium emphasizes the narrative context of a meal's conclusion, indicated by a plate on the table, while the figure is depicted wearing a hat and a tightly fastened coat. A travel bag made of tapestry is positioned prominently before her profile.

This piece aligns with Degas's series of individual musician portraits from the same period, preceding his larger group compositions.

History & Provenance

Executed in 1867–68, the portrait depicts Marie Dihau in a Paris restaurant frequented by Degas and his circle. The work remained with the sitter until 1922, when she sold it to Paul Durand-Ruel. It entered Henry Osborne Havemeyer’s collection in 1923 and passed to his wife Louisine Havemeyer the same year.

In 1929 Louisine Havemeyer bequeathed it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it has been held since.

The work is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it has been part of the museum’s collection since 1929. It was acquired from the estate of Louisine Havemeyer, who bequeathed it to the museum, and previously entered the collection of Henry Osborne Havemeyer in 1923 after its sale by the sitter to dealer Paul Durand‑Ruel in 1922. The painting, an oil on canvas measuring 22.2 cm × 27.3 cm and dated to 1867–1868, is recorded in the museum’s catalogue but no specific accession number is provided in the available documentation.

Context

The work is an early Degas portrait of the musician Marie Dihau, painted in oil on canvas between 1867 and 1868 (dimensions 22.2 × 27.3 cm) and now held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art‑3). It belongs to a series of individual portraits of contemporary Parisian musicians that Degas executed before moving to larger group compositions such as L'Orchestre de l'Opéra. The painting’s informal setting, a restaurant frequented by artists, reflects the social milieu of the Second Empire and Degas’s interest in capturing fleeting, everyday moments‑3).

Scholarship emphasizes its significance as a precursor to his later group portraits and as an example of his evolving approach to portraiture within the broader Impressionist context‑3).

Overview

Edgar Degas completed this oil portrait of Mademoiselle Marie Dihau in 1867. The painting captures the subject in profile, presenting a focused yet informal depiction of the musician. This work is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, representing an early example of Degas's engagement with portraiture.

Artist & collection

Artist

Edgar Degas

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.