Lot Essay
Raffaelli was one of the few artists of his generation who painted a realistic portrayal of the downtrodden, working class people who inhabited the Paris suburbs. His observations rivaled Zola's literary descriptions in their sense of accuracy. At the insistence of Degas, Raffaelli became associated with the renegrade Impressionists, and exhibited works in their controvercial shows in the 1870's. Our painting, showing a young woman at her toilette, was most likely inspired by Raffaelli's friendship with artists such as Renoir and Degas, who both painted this subject many times.