Edgar Degas - Self-Portrait with Christine and Yvonne Lerolle [probably 1895-96]

Edgar Degas - Self-Portrait with Christine and Yvonne Lerolle [probably 1895-96] , a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Degas's brief but passionate involvement with photography resulted in a small body of fascinating and engaging pictures. Most of his surviving photographs are figure studies, self-portraits, and portraits of his intimate circle of friends - the families of Ludovic Halévy, Stéphane Mallarmé, Henry Lerolle, Auguste Renoir, Jacques-Emile Blanche, and others-in settings suggestive of realms more psychological than physical. In this magical image, one of Degas' finest, the artist himself seems to lean back deep in thought, conjuring up an image of youthful feminine grace in the form of the white-clad Lerolle daughters.

[Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York - Gelatin silver print, 37.1 x 29.3 cm]