{"id":119373,"date":"2018-01-01T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T14:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=119373"},"modified":"2017-12-19T16:20:19","modified_gmt":"2017-12-19T21:20:19","slug":"degass-model-tells-all-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>We\u2019re away until January 3, but we\u2019re reposting some of our favorite pieces from 2017. Enjoy your holiday!<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_114237\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-114237\" class=\"size-full wp-image-114237\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking-768x542.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking-1024x723.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 62.5em) 67vw, 100vw\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-114237\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Edgar Degas, <em>Sulking<\/em>, ca. 1870, oil on canvas.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Chrissakes, Pauline!<\/em> No one would have been more horrified than Edgar Degas at the thought of a model taking up the pen. Not a fan of working-class literacy in general, he might well have died of apoplexy at the very idea that a model might dare not only to write about art but about <em>his<\/em> art. And from the very first words, we know that Alice Michel\u2019s memoir is not going to be a typical hagiography of a great dead artist. This Degas is not the elegant gentleman, proud member of the Parisian haute bourgeoisie and scion of a well-to-do and diasporic family, with branches running banks in Naples and plantations in New Orleans. Nor is he the grand habitu\u00e9 of ballets, caf\u00e9 concerts, and the opera, haunting the loges alongside his one-time friend librettist Ludovic Hal\u00e9vy. Not the cultivated disciple of Mallarm\u00e9 who tried his hand at the occasional sonnet, not the obsessive aesthete who co-organized the exhibitions that made Impressionism an art-world phenomenon, and certainly not the purveyor of cutting, perfectly formed witticisms at exhibitions and dinner parties.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2017\/08\/24\/degass-model-tells-all\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Read More &gt;&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re away until January 3, but we\u2019re reposting some of our favorite pieces from 2017. Enjoy your holiday! &nbsp; Chrissakes, Pauline! No one would have been more horrified than Edgar Degas at the thought of a model taking up the pen. Not a fan of working-class literacy in general, he might well have died of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1226,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32152],"tags":[30211,10600,30214,30210,35,30222,26163,17626,16242,15195,3655,30212,30213,12232,7579,67,30219,30218,30215,30217,30216,30221,7578,30220],"class_list":["post-119373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-of-2017","tag-alfred-dollfus","tag-alfred-jarry","tag-alfred-vallette","tag-alice-michel","tag-art","tag-artist-studio","tag-artists-and-models","tag-edgar-degas","tag-gustave-moreau","tag-impressionism","tag-le-figaro","tag-marie-laparcerie","tag-mercure-de-france","tag-models","tag-noms-de-plume","tag-painting","tag-paul-durand-ruel","tag-paul-lafond","tag-pauline-fournier","tag-pauline-friese","tag-pauline-lansart","tag-protofeminism","tag-pseudonyms","tag-rachilde"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.4 (Yoast SEO v25.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Degas\u2019s Model Tells All<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"No one would have been more horrified than Edgar Degas at the thought of a model taking up the pen.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All by Jeff Nagy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"January 1, 2018 \u2013 We\u2019re away until January 3, but we\u2019re reposting some of our favorite pieces from 2017. Enjoy your holiday! &nbsp; Chrissakes, Pauline! No one would have\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Paris Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/parisreview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-01T14:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"847\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jeff Nagy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@parisreview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@parisreview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jeff Nagy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jeff Nagy\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/734902eb8ced20980e8b9d000094e70c\"},\"headline\":\"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-01T14:00:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/\"},\"wordCount\":224,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Alfred Dollfus\",\"Alfred Jarry\",\"Alfred Vallette\",\"Alice Michel\",\"art\",\"artist studio\",\"Artists and Models\",\"Edgar Degas\",\"Gustave Moreau\",\"impressionism\",\"Le Figaro\",\"Marie Laparcerie\",\"Mercure de France\",\"models\",\"noms de plume\",\"painting\",\"Paul Durand-Ruel\",\"Paul Lafond\",\"Pauline Fournier\",\"Pauline Friese\",\"Pauline Lansart\",\"protofeminism\",\"pseudonyms\",\"Rachilde\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Best of 2017\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/\",\"name\":\"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-01T14:00:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"No one would have been more horrified than Edgar Degas at the thought of a model taking up the pen.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Paris Review\",\"description\":\"The best prose, interviews, poetry, and art. Since 1953.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Paris Review\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tpr-hadada-roundell-logo-square.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tpr-hadada-roundell-logo-square.png\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"The Paris Review\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/parisreview\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/parisreview\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/parisreview\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/734902eb8ced20980e8b9d000094e70c\",\"name\":\"Jeff Nagy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d244df11ca6046d34ebbcda0c54307179ff020f12afd8135aa1bb6af9fa56eb7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d244df11ca6046d34ebbcda0c54307179ff020f12afd8135aa1bb6af9fa56eb7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jeff Nagy\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/author\/jnagy\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All","description":"No one would have been more horrified than Edgar Degas at the thought of a model taking up the pen.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All by Jeff Nagy","og_description":"January 1, 2018 \u2013 We\u2019re away until January 3, but we\u2019re reposting some of our favorite pieces from 2017. Enjoy your holiday! &nbsp; Chrissakes, Pauline! No one would have","og_url":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/","og_site_name":"The Paris Review","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/parisreview\/","article_published_time":"2018-01-01T14:00:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":847,"url":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jeff Nagy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@parisreview","twitter_site":"@parisreview","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jeff Nagy","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Jeff Nagy","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/734902eb8ced20980e8b9d000094e70c"},"headline":"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All","datePublished":"2018-01-01T14:00:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/"},"wordCount":224,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg","keywords":["Alfred Dollfus","Alfred Jarry","Alfred Vallette","Alice Michel","art","artist studio","Artists and Models","Edgar Degas","Gustave Moreau","impressionism","Le Figaro","Marie Laparcerie","Mercure de France","models","noms de plume","painting","Paul Durand-Ruel","Paul Lafond","Pauline Fournier","Pauline Friese","Pauline Lansart","protofeminism","pseudonyms","Rachilde"],"articleSection":["Best of 2017"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/","url":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/","name":"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg","datePublished":"2018-01-01T14:00:01+00:00","description":"No one would have been more horrified than Edgar Degas at the thought of a model taking up the pen.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/degas-sulking.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/01\/degass-model-tells-all-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Degas\u2019s Model Tells All"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/","name":"The Paris Review","description":"The best prose, interviews, poetry, and art. Since 1953.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#organization","name":"The Paris Review","url":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tpr-hadada-roundell-logo-square.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tpr-hadada-roundell-logo-square.png","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"The Paris Review"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/parisreview\/","https:\/\/x.com\/parisreview","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/parisreview"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/734902eb8ced20980e8b9d000094e70c","name":"Jeff Nagy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d244df11ca6046d34ebbcda0c54307179ff020f12afd8135aa1bb6af9fa56eb7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d244df11ca6046d34ebbcda0c54307179ff020f12afd8135aa1bb6af9fa56eb7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jeff Nagy"},"url":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/author\/jnagy\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119373"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119598,"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119373\/revisions\/119598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}