In the Opera Box (No. 3)

In the Opera Box (No. 3) is a key print created by the American artist Mary Cassatt in 1880. Executed during a period of intense experimentation with graphic techniques, this work utilizes the complex intaglio combination of softground etching and aquatint applied to Japanese paper. Cassatt, working actively between 1876 to 1900, embraced printmaking after significant encouragement and collaboration with Edgar Degas, mastering methods that allowed her to achieve rich tonal variation and nuanced texture, moving beyond the linear qualities of pure etching.

The work captures a specific aspect of modern Parisian social life: a woman seated within the confined yet highly visible setting of a theater box. This subject exemplifies Cassatt’s persistent focus on the private and public lives of women in late 19th-century society. Unlike her male Impressionist counterparts, who often captured broader, more anonymous crowds, Cassatt concentrated on the psychology and decorum governing women’s public appearances. The soft light and shadows rendered through the aquatint technique emphasize the atmospheric isolation inherent in such an environment, highlighting the act of observation, both by the subject and of the subject by the viewer.

As one of the foremost American artists residing and working in France, Cassatt’s dedication to the graphic arts was crucial to the elevation of original prints within the Impressionist movement. This piece provides essential insight into the artist’s contribution to the fin-de-siècle resurgence of printmaking. This specific impression of the 1880 composition is a significant holding in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it serves as a core example of the development of modern graphic arts. Due to the historical nature of the piece, high-quality images of many Cassatt prints from this era are frequently made available to researchers and the public domain for study and appreciation.