Lady in Black, in a Loge, Facing Right

Lady in Black, in a Loge, Facing Right by Mary Cassatt is a striking example of the artist’s dedication to graphic arts, created around 1880. Classified as a print, the work utilizes softground etching on laid paper, a technical choice that highlights Cassatt's sophisticated approach to line and tone. The softground technique allowed Cassatt to achieve textural qualities similar to crayon or pencil drawing, lending a delicate intimacy to the observation of the seated figure.

This piece belongs to a series of prints and paintings created by Cassatt depicting women in loges (theater boxes), a recurring subject throughout her career that encapsulates modern Parisian social life. The solitary figure, dressed in black, faces right, suggesting she is engrossed in the performance or perhaps observing another patron across the auditorium. Cassatt, an American artist living and working primarily in France, used these scenes to explore the changing roles of women in public spaces during the period of 1876 to 1900, portraying her subjects not as passive objects of spectacle, but as active participants in the modern social environment.

Cassatt’s mastery of the etching process distinguishes her among her Impressionist peers. She achieved complex atmospheric effects through careful hatching and tonal contrast, capturing the specific lighting environment of the theater. The focus on the interior life and social context of women makes this print central to the understanding of late nineteenth-century American art.

This historically significant work resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. As with many important nineteenth-century prints, images of this work are often available through public domain resources, allowing broad access for study and appreciation of Cassatt's pioneering contributions to Impressionism.