Kneeling in an Armchair

Kneeling in an Armchair is a delicate print created by the American artist Mary Cassatt between 1898 and 1908. This piece exemplifies Cassatt's mature mastery of intaglio techniques, specifically the drypoint method, rendered on blue-green laid paper. Unlike etching, drypoint involves directly incising the copper plate with a needle, throwing up a burr of displaced metal that holds the ink. This technique imbues the finished impression with characteristically soft, velvety lines, visible particularly in the subtle modeling of the figure and the texture of the armchair.

Throughout her career, Cassatt focused almost exclusively on the domestic sphere, often depicting women and children in intimate, unposed moments. Although an expatriate living in France, her art remained central to the late nineteenth-century movement in American culture. This drypoint, executed near the turn of the century, falls firmly within the aesthetic sensibilities established during the 1876 to 1900 period, reflecting the shift toward a focus on contemporary, private life. The subject, captured in a moment of repose or concentration, is rendered with the immediacy typical of Impressionist-inspired graphic works. Cassatt’s dedicated output in the field of fine art prints, often using models found near her Parisian home, established her as a major force in the graphic arts alongside Edgar Degas.

The intimate scale and detailed execution of this drypoint make it a fine example of Cassatt’s prolific graphic oeuvre. Her commitment to creating high-quality, reproducible works meant that many of her key images exist as multiple prints, reaching a wider audience than her unique oil paintings. Today, original impressions of Kneeling in an Armchair are preserved in leading institutions, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. As a significant piece of the American Impressionist tradition, the image may also be accessible through various digitized public domain collections, furthering its study and appreciation.