Artwork
Leaving the Bath
Leaving the Bath is a print by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1880 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
If you like this, check out more of Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)—his other bathers play with the same quiet, private views.
A woman steps out of a bathtub, her back turned to us. A maid holds a cloth, half-hidden behind it. The room feels small and private, like we’re peeking in.
Degas often painted bathers, but here the angle makes us feel like we shouldn’t be looking. The lines are loose, almost like a quick sketch, but the scene feels real. He liked showing everyday moments, not grand poses.
If you like this, check out more of Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)—his other bathers play with the same quiet, private views.
Overview
Edgar Degas's print, Leaving the Bath, depicts an intimate moment of a woman exiting a bathtub, observed from behind, while a partially hidden maid assists with a drying cloth. The composition emphasizes privacy and unintended observation.
Subject & Meaning
The scene conveys everyday, unposed domesticity, characteristic of Degas's focus on mundane moments. The viewer's voyeuristic angle, a hallmark of Degas's bather series, heightens the sense of intimacy and unintended intrusion.
Technique & Style
The print features loose, sketch-like lines, evoking immediacy and spontaneity. This style contrasts with the carefully observed, quiet realism of the depicted moment, blending casual execution with thoughtful composition.
History & Provenance
Created during Degas's exploration of etching in the 1850s, this work reflects his study of masters like Rembrandt at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Degas showcased such prints alongside paintings in Impressionist group exhibitions.
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.
Leaving the Bath (La sortie du bain)
Leaving the Bath
Nude Woman Standing, Drying Herself (Femme nue debout, a sa toilette)
After the Bath III
After the Bath (La sortie du bain (Petite planche))
On the Stage (Sur la scène)
After the Bath: Woman Drying Herself
Nude Woman Standing, Drying Herself
Woman Reading (Liseuse)