Little Dancer of Fourteen Years
The "Little Dancer" wax sculpture we see today is a reworked version of the original sculpture that was shown in 1881. After seeing the wax sculpture in Degas’ living quarters in April 1903, the New York collector Louisine Havemeyer expressed interest in buying the wax. After proposing a bronze or cast wax of the sculpture, which Mrs. Havemeyer refused, Degas took his wax figure upstairs to his working studio and told Vollard he was reworking the sculpture for Havemeyer for 40,000 francs. Degas never sold the sculpture to Mrs. Havemeyer. After Degas died, it was found in a corner of his studio. Paul Lefond, Degas’ biographer, described the "Little Dancer" wax after Degas’ death as "nothing but a ruin;" and Mary Cassatt telegraphed Mrs. Havemeyer "Statue Bad Condition." However, the wax sculpture we know today is not a ruin. It is Degas' reworked second version of his wax figure. At some point before Degas extensively reworked his sculpture, he allowed a plaster to be cast from the wax figure. This recently re-discovered plaster records the "Little Dancer"’s original pose, bodice, and hairdo. The plaster is now in a private collection in the United States.
Singer with A Glove
Ballet Rehearsal (1873) and The Ballet Class (1874) also depict performers both on stage and in practice. Degas is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers alone. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism, although he rejected the term, and preferred to think of himself as a realist. Singer with A Glove is currently at the Fogg Art Museum, a museum associated with Harvard University along with two other museums and four research centers. At the Fogg museum, they have a permanent exhibition featuring Degas and his works, with near 70 pieces in their collection. The Fogg was the first museum to mount an exhibition of works by Degas, which became a very pivotal moment in his lifetime. At the first initial showing at the Fogg, attendance totaled 550 people, which at the time was considered a success. Singer with A Glove has been present in the Fogg’s collection since 1951.