Fine Art

At the Races in the Countryside — History & Facts

A family has driven out to a country racecourse in an open carriage: a man in a top hat holds the reins, and under a parasol a wet nurse feeds the baby, with the family dog perched beside them. Behind, riders and horses dot a wide green field under a pale sky. Edgar Degas painted it in 1869, during a visit to his friend Paul Valpinçon's estate at Ménil-Hubert in Normandy. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, identifies the family as Valpinçon, his wife and their infant son Henri, with the baby's wet nurse. Degas sold it to the dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in 1872 and showed it at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874.

The museum bought it in 1926. It is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

More Artworks by Edgar Degas

Two ballerinas poised mid-step on stage, capturing the energy of live performance.

Two Dancers on a Stage

Edgar Degas

Four ballet dancers in pale tutus cluster closely on the right side of a rehearsal room with a large mirror reflecting a blurred figure in the background.

A Group of Dancers

Edgar Degas

A group of young women in white tutus rehearsing in a ballet studio, with a central dancer poised en pointe.

The Dancing Class

Edgar Degas

A group of young ballerinas waiting in the wings of the Paris Opéra, captured by Edgar Degas.

Dancers in the Wings

Edgar Degas

A sunlit rehearsal room shows young ballet dancers in white tutus practicing at the barre beside a spiral wooden staircase, with two seated girls resting nearby.

Ballet Rehearsal

Edgar Degas

A group of ballet dancers in white tutus rehearse on a dimly lit stage, some stretching, chatting, and practicing dance steps.

Edgar Degas - Rehearsal on Stage

Edgar Degas

A group of young ballet dancers in white tutus with colored sashes practice in a sunlit studio framed by a dark spiral staircase.

The Dance Class

Edgar Degas

Two dancers in vibrant yellow and rose costumes captured in a moment of poised anticipation.

Two Dancers - Yellow and Rose

Edgar Degas

A depiction of ballet dancers in rehearsal, showcasing their hard work and discipline.

The Ballet Rehearsal

Edgar Degas

A bearded man in a dark suit sits between two young girls in white dresses, with green shutters and foliage behind them.

Count Lepic and His Daughters

Edgar Degas

Browse all

More Genre Scene Art

A group of Haarlem officers in colorful sashes gathers around a banquet table set with glassware, plates, and a large pie, with a patterned banner behind them.

Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard

Frans Hals

A man in a feathered hat smiles and raises a glass while holding a woman on his lap, both dressed in elaborate 17th-century clothing with a table of objects nearby.

Rembrandt and Saskia in the Scene of the Prodigal Son

Rembrandt van Rijn

A lively outdoor scene shows couples dancing and groups seated at tables under trees, with figures in flowing dresses and straw hats.

Bal du moulin de la Galette

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

A dancer in a vivid green dress stands with hands on hips facing forward, surrounded by figures in brown, black, and pink clothing with a balcony and loosely sketched background.

Quadrille at the Moulin Rouge

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

A Burial at Ornans

A Burial at Ornans

Gustave Courbet

Two Tahitian women sit against a yellow and blue background; one wears a pale green wrap and red skirt, the other a pink dress with white trim and necklace.

When Will You Marry?

Paul Gauguin

Browse all