ArtsViewer.com

Edgar Degas - The Absinthe Drinker 1876 Unlike his Impressionist friends, Degas was an essentially
urban painter, who liked to paint the enclosed spaces of stage shows, leisure activities and pleasure spots.
Degas asked people he knew to pose for the figures: Ellen André was an actress, and an artist's model;
Marcellin Desboutin was an engraver and artist. The painting cast a slur on their reputations and Degas
had to state publicly that they were not alcoholics. - art-Degas.com