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Lady at the Tea Table

Mary Cassatt American
1883–85
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 766
This work depicts Mary Dickinson Riddle, first cousin of Cassatt’s mother, presiding at tea, a daily ritual among upper-middle-class women on both sides of the Atlantic. Mrs. Riddle’s hand rests on the handle of a teapot, part of a gilded blue-and-white Canton porcelain service her daughter had given to the artist’s family. Painted in appreciation, the portrait reveals Cassatt’s Impressionist technique in its sketch-like finish, palette, and compressed space. The work was ultimately rejected by Riddle’s family, and it remained with the artist until her longtime friend, Louisine Havemeyer, persuaded her to donate it to The Met.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lady at the Tea Table
  • Artist: Mary Cassatt (American, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1844–1926 Le Mesnil-Théribus, Oise)
  • Date: 1883–85
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 61 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of the artist, 1923
  • Object Number: 23.101
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

Audio

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4374. Lady at the Tea Table

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The Barefooted Child, Mary Cassatt American, Drypoint and aquatint, printed in color from three plates; fifth state of five
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