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The Letter

Mary Cassatt American
Printer Monsieur LeRoy French
1890–91
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 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

More Artwork

More Artwork
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The Map, Mary Cassatt American, Drypoint; second state of three
The Map
Mary Cassatt
1890
Mother Berthe Holding Her Child, Mary Cassatt American, Drypoint; second state of two
Mother Berthe Holding Her Child
Mary Cassatt
ca. 1889
The Barefooted Child, Mary Cassatt American, Drypoint and aquatint, printed in color from three plates; fifth state of five
The Barefooted Child
Mary Cassatt
ca. 1896–97
The Stocking, Mary Cassatt American, Drypoint; fifth state of six
The Stocking
Mary Cassatt
1890
The Mirror, Mary Cassatt American, Drypoint; sixth state of six
The Mirror
Mary Cassatt
ca. 1891

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