Depicting Women at Work

In this activity, you will:

• learn about a painting that honored women at work
• examine how artists send messages through their work
• create a collage of a working woman

• Multiple Parts

• Pencils
• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Magazines (pictures or words to be cut)

Read About a Painting of Working Women

In the 1800s, the overwhelming majority of portraits in museums showed royalty, wealthy merchants, religious figures, and mythological heroes. Wealthy people would hire artists to paint their portraits. But ordinary working people, especially working women, were rarely considered worthy subjects for serious or important art.

When Edgar Degas chose to paint milliners (hat makers), laundresses, dancers in rehearsal, and café singers, he was making a statement: everyday work is worthy of art. Degas’s paintings showed that these women’s lives and labor mattered too. Read Explore The Milliners to learn more this painting.

Questions

After reading about The Milliners, write or discuss your responses to the following questions.

• Can you see the faces of the women clearly? What are they doing with their hands?
• What colors do you see? Are they bright and celebratory, or muted and focused? In which places in the painting does Degas use brighter colors?

Make a Collage Portrait of a Woman at Work

Choose Your Subject

Degas honored women at work by depicting them in his paintings showing them at work. Now it’s your turn to do so. Decide who deserves to be seen. Think of a woman in your life who works hard. Consider the following questions as you select your subject.

• Is it a family member, someone in your neighborhood or school, or a historical or public figure?
• What type of work do they do? (doctor, custodian, chef, bus driver, store worker, etc.)
• What type of skills does this work demand?
• What kind of environment do they work in?

Plan Your Collage

• Write the name and job of your subject.
• Find or draw images that represent her tools, environment, work products, and actions. A doctor might have medical symbols such as a stethoscope and an environment like a hospital. A cook might have food, fire, a busy kitchen.
• Think about color and mood. Does her work feel fast-paced? Calm? Creative? Physically demanding?

Make Your Collage

Draw an outline on your page that blocks out the main sections of your portrait. Include the following details:

• Figure of your subject
• Any important tools
• Details in the background

Carefully cut out the shapes you would like to use. They could be images, words, patterns, or blocks of colorful paper. Try different sizes and shapes to make it more interesting.

Before gluing anything down, arrange your pieces on the page. Move them around until you like how it looks. Choose colors and arrangements that match the energy and mood of the work. Think about balance and spacing. Once you’re happy with the layout, glue your pieces in place. Press them flat so they stick well.

Add final touches by drawing, writing, or adding extra details to fill empty spaces or make your collage stand out more. Add a title, something like: “Maria at the Bakery,” or “My Grandmother’s Office,” or simply her name and her work. Then, let the glue dry!

Reflect on Your Collage

Write or discuss your answers to the following questions:

• Who did you choose to feature in your collage and why?
• What did you want people to notice first in your collage?
• How did making this help you understand why Degas painted working women?

Skilled worker who designs, makes, and sells hats.