PROLOGUEopportunities for a good life were very real—successful ballerinas could
substantially enrich their families, even surpassing the income of their
own fathers. However, those who did not succeed would fall prey of wealthy
patrons who could buy their way backstage. Exploited and degraded to
worthlessness by their pest-animal label, these young dancers were effec-
tively the by-product of Parisian desires, dreams, and drives. Unashamedly
cast against this social background, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen simply
confronted viewers with the dark side of the Opéra and forced them to face
the inconvenient truth behind the glossy veneer of entertainment.
Degas admired perseverance in training. As someone who spent most
of his time perfecting his practice, copying the work of classical masters
and inventing new aesthetics through which to capture the ephemerality
of modern life, he knew what struggling for one’s art meant. For similar
reasons, he also developed a fondness for horses (fig. P.3). Both horses
and ballerinas began training at a very young age and worked with such
intensity and focus that their bodies were effectively molded by the
FIGURE P.3 Edgar Degas, Racehorses (st udy for Scene from the Steeplechase: The
Fallen Jockey), c. 1881. Charcoal on light brown paper. Overall: 10 7/8 × 17 in. (27.6 ×
43.2 cm). Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. Open-access image courtesy of the
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.