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Bill Lying on His Mother's Lap

Mary Cassatt American
ca. 1889
Not on view
Cassatt’s serial treatment of mothers and children emerged first in her graphic works during a period in which she experimented intensely with printmaking techniques. Here, the blurred quality of the lines results from the use of soft-ground etching and the murky, aqueous background from liquid aquatint. During her lifetime, critics appreciated her unsentimental approach to the maternal subject. In this image, baby Bill appears sprawled across his caregiver’s lap in an ungainly posture. Other prints show Bill with a nurse or nanny, raising questions about the identity of the so-called mother figure seen here.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bill Lying on His Mother's Lap
  • Artist: Mary Cassatt (American, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1844–1926 Le Mesnil-Théribus, Oise)
  • Date: ca. 1889
  • Medium: Soft-ground etching and aquatint; fourth state of five
  • Dimensions: plate: 7 1/16 x 5 7/16 in. (17.9 x 13.8 cm)
    sheet: 13 11/16 x 8 1/8 in. (34.8 x 20.6 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1919
  • Object Number: 19.1.3
  • 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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