When I sent my characters to the Cirque Fernando in Where the Light Falls to see Mlle. La La perform, I had no idea that the real woman painted by Edgar Degas was a mixed-race performer. What would I have done with the information had I known? I’m not sure, but the racial complexities of Parisian culture in the 19th C were rich and well worth exploring.
For more about Miss La La, click here.
For more about Miss La La, click here.