When Racehorses at Longchamp first appeared in 1874, it was part of the inaugural exhibition of the Impressionist group—a bold declaration of independence from the official Salon. This was the year when Edgar Degas and his peers, including Monet and Renoir, presented their radical visions to a skeptical Parisian public. The painting is one of several by Degas exploring the world of horse racing, a fashionable pastime in late 19th-century France and a subject that allowed him to experiment with movement, light, and the fleeting nature of modern life.

Critics at the time were divided: some dismissed the loose brushwork as unfinished, while others admired the freshness and immediacy. The scene captures the tense, expectant moment just before the race begins at Longchamp, the famous Parisian racecourse. Riders in colorful silks sit astride their restless mounts, poised at the starting line, while spectators and trees recede into the hazy background. Unlike traditional equestrian portraits, Degas places the viewer almost on the track itself, at eye level with the horses, heightening the sense of anticipation.

The low horizon and off-center composition break with academic conventions, echoing the influence of Japanese prints and the new possibilities of photography. Compared to Théodore Géricault's dramatic, heroic horses, Degas's animals are observed with the cool detachment of a modern urbanite, their power and grace caught in a fleeting instant. The precise early history of this particular painting is not fully documented, but it belongs to a series of racing scenes that Degas returned to throughout his career, using both oil and pastel. The artist was known to frequent the tracks at Longchamp and Chantilly, sketching from life and later reworking his compositions in the studio.

Today, Racehorses at Longchamp stands as a testament to Degas's fascination with movement and modernity, and it remains one of the most celebrated examples of his equestrian works. The painting is held in a major public collection, where it continues to draw viewers into the vibrant world of Parisian leisure at the dawn of the Impressionist era.