Cleveland Museum Exhibition Highlights Women's Labor in Impressionist Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art's exhibition 'Degas and the Laundress' examines depictions of women's work in Impressionism, a subject often overlooked in art history. The show features prints and drawings by Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, James McNeill Whistler, and others, revealing how laundresses, seamstresses, ragpickers, and models contributed to both artistic production and 19th-century society. These works on paper, including pieces from the museum's collection, demonstrate how women's labor supported the leisure activities typically associated with Impressionist imagery. The exhibition encourages viewers to recognize the often-invisible work that sustained both artistic creation and daily life in the 1800s.