Edgar Degas, calling card

Ludovic Lepic|Anonymous|Edgar Degas

ca. 1870–1917 · Letterpress · Drawings and Prints

F. C. Schang donated 64 artists’ calling cards to The Met between 1977 and 1989. The calling cards are housed in an album that also includes Schang’s collection of stamps and other related ephemera. Calling cards derived from a custom, originating in England, in which messages were inscribed on the backs of playing cards. Cards made for the express purpose of sharing hand-written messages were manufactured beginning in the eighteenth century; by the early-nineteenth century, calling cards had become a popular means for sending well wishes, holiday greetings, condolences, and messages of courtship. On this calling card, Degas invites the recipient, painter John L. Browne, to dinner.

Artist

Ludovic Lepic|Anonymous|Edgar Degas

Date

ca. 1870–1917

Medium

Letterpress

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of F. C. Schang, 1977