Afternoon Tea Party

Afternoon Tea Party is a sophisticated color print created by Mary Cassatt between 1890 and 1891. This complex work is characterized by its demanding technique, utilizing a combination of color drypoint, softground etching, and aquatint, enhanced by subtle touches of gold metallic paint applied to laid paper. Cassatt, an American artist deeply involved with the French Impressionist movement, was a leading innovator in color printmaking during this specific period. The meticulous use of multiple intaglio techniques allowed her to achieve varied textural effects, rich tonal complexity, and a delicate atmospheric depth often associated with Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which heavily influenced her artistic direction around 1890.

Reflecting her long-standing interest in the private lives and social rituals of women, Cassatt depicts an intimate domestic scene featuring two or more figures engaged in the standard Victorian social custom of afternoon tea. This focus on feminine interaction and domesticity was central to her oeuvre throughout the late 19th century (1876 to 1900). While the work employs Impressionist principles of diffused light and asymmetrical composition, Cassatt’s firm delineation of figures and detailed observation of social settings distinguish her unique approach. As a highly influential American printmaker working abroad, Cassatt’s dedicated efforts significantly elevated the status of color prints in Western art toward the end of the century.

This exceptional example of Cassatt’s graphic arts mastery is classified definitively as a Print. The piece is part of the extensive collection of American and European art held by the National Gallery of Art, where it is featured as a prime example of the artist’s dedication to intaglio processes during her mature period. The detail and masterful handling of color drypoint in Afternoon Tea Party ensure its status as a significant historical document of the era. The National Gallery of Art often makes such high-quality historical prints available for public study and reference, ensuring the wide accessibility of works like this one, which is frequently discussed in relation to available public domain collections.