The Ladies of the Cars

Tissot was a French painter, illustrator, and etcher, born at Nantes, who early in his career became friendly with Whistler and Degas. Later in his life, while under the influence of Manet and Alfred Stevens, he depicted scenes from contemporary life, especially of fashionable women such as these chariot-driving performers at the Hippodrome de l'Alma. 

Tissot lived an exciting life. He took part in the defence of Paris against Prussia in 1871 (the Commune) and was afterward obliged to flee to London. His paintings of the Thames were influenced by Whistler. He declined an invitation from Degas to participate in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874. Returning to Paris in 1883, he had his first one-man exhibition that year at the Palais de l'Industrie there. He visited Palestine in 1886-7 and 1889 and devoted the rest of his life to illustrating the Bible, his illustrations proving enormously successful.