Degas' Health

By the late 1880s Degas eyesight began to decline, perhaps from his time working in the artillery of the National Guard while defending Paris in the Franco-Prussian War.  Eventually he became blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other however, he never went completely blind. 

He wore dark glasses outdoors and had to take frequent breaks from his work.  While visiting family in New Orleans he lamented over his inability to work out in the sunlight in a letter to his friend, "What lovely things I could have done, and done rapidly if the bright daylight were less unbearable for me. To go to Louisiana to open one's eyes, I cannot do that. And yet I kept them sufficiently half open to see my fill."  Unable to paint outdoors, Degas painted many portraits of family members indoors where he was able to control the light. 

His more simplified pieces in his last years of work have been linked to his failing eyesight.  As he grew older and his sight deteriorated Degas created more sculptures.  He also became increasingly reclusive and eccentric.