The Millinery Shop

In the pictureOn the right sits a woman in an olive dress, lifting an orange hat in both hands, which are in long gloves, to look it over. Her face is in profile and her gaze is lowered to the hat. From the left to the center, hats on stands are lined up: a hat of white lace with a yellow ribbon, a red hat and a brown hat behind it, a straw hat topped with flowers and leaves trailing a long light green ribbon, and a hat with a sky blue ribbon at the front of the table. The table and floor are orange-brown, and the back wall is dark teal.

BackgroundIn the 1880s Degas became interested in the millinery shops of Paris and left several pastels and oils on the subject. Paris at the time had many shops where hats were made and sold by hand, and many women worked in the trade. This painting is dated 1879 to 1886, suggesting he worked on it over a long period. The usual interpretation is that the woman is not a customer but a milliner who makes the hats. Its composition, which pushes the figure to one side and sets the hats large like the main characters, is distinctive.

Puzzle tipEach hat has a different color, which makes good landmarks. Fit the white lace and yellow ribbon, the red hat, the flower-trimmed straw hat and the sky blue ribbon first, then join the vertical line by following the light green ribbon that falls below the straw hat. On the right, the woman's olive dress runs in a broad area, with her face and the orange hat as guides. The orange-brown table and floor at lower left are wide areas that differ only in brushwork, so leave them for last; the black legs of the stands show where they go. 100 pieces work well.