OVER SEVERAL NIGHTS in January 1879, the French artist Edgar Degas (1834-1917) visited the popular Paris entertainment, Cirque Fernando. Posters by François Appel (1821-82), promoting Cirque Fernando (and Fernando Cirque) included illustrations of the distinctive 1875 purpose-built, 2,000-capacity circus building on the corner of Rue des Martyrs and Boulevard Rochechouart.
Degas was there to observe and sketch the sensational aerialist Miss La La, described as , the mulatto-cannon woman. Degas was of mixed-race Creole heritage from New Orleans. His work, painted against the light, accentuated the different skin tones of the girls. How would he depict Miss La La? From his seat in the audience,
