1890–91
(American, 1844–1926)
Drypoint, softground etching, and aquatint
Platemark: 32.1 x 25 cm (12 5/8 x 9 13/16 in.); Sheet: 44 x 27.8 cm (17 5/16 x 10 15/16 in.)
Bequest of Charles T. Brooks 1941.73
Catalogue raisonné: Mathews & Shapiro 6, Breeskin 144
State: M & S: II/IV, B: between II & III/III
Mary Cassatt was inspired to create this print after visiting an expansive exhibition of Japanese woodblocks at Paris's École des Beaux-Arts.
The theme of a bourgeois woman "at home," coiffed and dressed to greet visitors, was a familiar one in Cassatt’s work, utilized in compositions such as Mimi as a Brunette. The position of the model as seen from behind may reflect the consideration of the nape of a woman’s neck as the ultimate symbol of beauty and eroticism in Japan.
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