After-Dinner Coffee (recto)

After-Dinner Coffee (recto) by Mary Cassatt is a compelling graphite drawing executed between 1884 and 1894, a period marking the height of the artist’s involvement with the French Impressionists. Classified formally as a Drawing, this work captures a private, intimate moment consistent with Cassatt’s enduring focus on the domestic and social lives of women. Though the scene is specific to the title, suggesting the relaxed atmosphere following a meal, the power of the piece lies in the expressive handling of the medium.

Executed solely in graphite, the work provides direct insight into Cassatt's skilled draftsmanship. She uses line economy to suggest volume and movement, defining the figures and their setting with rapid yet assured strokes. Unlike her highly refined oil paintings or color prints, this sketch reveals the immediate energy of her observational practice. The composition and the light handling indicate that this piece may have functioned as a preparatory study for a larger, more detailed composition, although its aesthetic merits allow it to stand alone as a fully realized expression.

Cassatt, a foundational American artist working abroad, was pivotal in bringing modern techniques back to the United States. Her genre scenes, like this one, elevate everyday rituals to subjects worthy of serious artistic attention. This historically significant Drawing is preserved in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Because of its historical classification and the artist's stature, high-quality prints and reproductions are often made available, allowing scholars and enthusiasts to study the preliminary workings of a master from the Impressionist movement.