The Letter
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.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Letter
- Artist: Mary Cassatt (American, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1844–1926 Le Mesnil-Théribus, Oise)
- Printer: Monsieur LeRoy (French, active 1875–1900)
- Date: 1890–91
- Medium: Drypoint, printed in black ink from one plate; first state of four
- Dimensions: plate: 13 9/16 x 8 15/16 in. (34.4 x 22.7 cm)
sheet: 13 5/8 x 9 1/8 in. (34.6 x 23.2 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Arthur Sachs, 1916
- Object Number: 16.3.2
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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