The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

Washerwomen

Washerwomen

1893
(French, 1849–1918)
publisher

Andre Marty

(French, b. 1857)
France, 19th century
color softground etching and aquatint with etching
Image: 38 x 21.5 cm (14 15/16 x 8 7/16 in.); Plate: 39.3 x 22.7 cm (15 1/2 x 8 15/16 in.); Sheet: 45.9 x 25.5 cm (18 1/16 x 10 1/16 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection 1955.451
Catalogue raisonné: Lotz-Brissonneau 91
Location: not on view

Description

Here, Auguste Lepère presented a pair of laundresses ascending steps from a wash boat on the Seine River, where they could pay to clean the loads they had collected. A receptacle for various types of waste, the river was a source of public concern for the unsanitary environment in which laundry was done. Lepère evoked these difficult working conditions by juxtaposing a youthful laundress with one who has spent time in the industry. The figures’ mirrored poses and their contrasting bold and muted tones suggest the passage of time as they carry out their work—a message emphasized by the artist’s caption at upper left: “Youth passes quickly. Virtue!”
  • Salsbury, Britany. Degas and the Laundress: Women, Work, and Impressionism Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023. Reproduced: p. 134, no. 27
  • Degas and the Laundress: Women, Work, and Impressionism. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 8, 2023-January 14, 2024).
    Leona E. Prasse, Connoisseur and Curator. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 28-August 25, 1985).
    Lepère, Legros, and Buhot. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 1-September 23, 1984).
    Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 11-October 21, 1968).
  • {{cite web|title=Washerwomen|url=false|author=Auguste Louis Lepère, Andre Marty|year=1893|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1955.451