Afternoon Tea Party

Afternoon Tea Party by Mary Cassatt, executed between 1890 and 1891, stands as a sophisticated example of late 19th-century color printmaking. This print employs a complex merger of intaglio techniques, utilizing color drypoint, softground etching, and aquatint, with additional selective touches of gold metallic paint applied directly to wove paper. This intricate process reflects Cassatt’s pioneering dedication to graphic arts, heavily influenced by the compositional clarity and flat color areas seen in contemporary Japanese woodblock prints.

As an American artist who adopted the Impressionist style, Cassatt often focused her intimate visual studies on the private lives and domestic rituals of women, themes frequently explored in her work during the period of 1876 to 1900. The quiet social gathering depicted here highlights the artist’s skill in rendering nuanced interactions and textures within a constrained space. The technical demands of combining softground etching-which provides subtle, varied tones-with the sharp lines of drypoint, demonstrate Cassatt’s technical mastery over the medium of prints, establishing her as a formidable figure in the international art world.

The delicate atmosphere and controlled palette are characteristic of the highly sought-after series of ten color prints that Cassatt created around this time. This work, along with others in the series, cemented her reputation among collectors and critics who appreciated her unique blend of Parisian aesthetic training and her distinctly American sensibility. This fine impression of the Afternoon Tea Party is held within the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Foundational pieces of this cultural period are frequently made available through digital archives, ensuring that art historical records, even those entering the public domain, are accessible for study by scholars worldwide.