The Letter

Mary Cassatt American

Not on view

Between 1890 and 1891 Cassatt produced ten color aquatints inspired by an exhibition of Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts she had seen at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in spring 1890. Her work led Degas to remark, "I do not admit that a woman can draw like that." Cassatt's images depict such scenes of everyday life as a tending a child, writing a letter, or riding the bus. In this only known impression of the first state of The Letter, Cassatt traced the basic design in drypoint; its appealing rough texture derives from the rich burr thrown up by a needle scratching through copper. With the wallpaper, chair, and desktop still to come, the figure appears more immediate and volumetric than in the print's final state.

The Letter, Mary Cassatt (American, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1844–1926 Le Mesnil-Théribus, Oise), Drypoint, printed in black ink from one plate; first state of four

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The Letter, Mary Cassatt (American, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1844–1926 Le Mesnil-Théribus, Oise), Drypoint, printed in black ink from one plate; first state of four
The Letter, Mary Cassatt (American, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1844–1926 Le Mesnil-Théribus, Oise), Drypoint, printed in black ink from one plate; first state of four

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