Washerwomen (1893): Art, History and Details

Washerwomen (1893) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Auguste Louis Lepère (French, 1849–1918); Andre Marty (French, b. 1857).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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!”

Object facts

• Title: Washerwomen
• Date: 1893
• Creator attribution: Auguste Louis Lepère (French, 1849–1918); Andre Marty (French, b. 1857)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Print
• Technique: color softground etching and aquatint with etching
• Dimensions: 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.)
• Collection: PR - Etching
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1955.451

Collection credit

Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection

Further reading listed by the museum

• Salsbury, Britany. Degas and the Laundress: Women, Work, and Impressionism Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.