In the Opera Box (No. 3)

Cassatt produced this print during a period of intense collaboration with Degas and Pissarro, a moment when they were also exploring the format of the fan. Although Cassatt never designed a fan, they feature prominently in the hands of her female subjects, especially at the theater. Here, the shape of the fan establishes the logic of the entire composition. Curving bands of light and dark—representing the theater balconies and chandelier reflected in a mirror and the sloping back of the chair framing the woman’s shoulders—echo the prominently displayed arch of the accessory in the foreground. Cassatt exhibited an impression of this print at the fifth Impressionist exhibition in 1880.