Young Woman with Her Hand over Her Mouth

Overview Young Woman with Her Hand over Her Mouth Edgar Degas French ca. 1875 Not on view This painting depicts a woman who appears to have been crying or is ill, in the sort of unguarded moment that Degas explored in his art throughout his career. Painted quickly and with great economy, its emphasis on capturing a transient emotional state marks it as a study rather than a formal portrait.

One early owner, the painter Egisto Fabbri (1866–1933), lent the canvas to the first exhibition of Impressionist art in Italy, held at the Lyceum Club in Florence in 1910.