Lydia Reading

"Lydia Reading," created by the American Impressionist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) between 1880 and 1881, is a significant early example of the artist's dedication to the graphic arts. This print is executed using a complex combination of intaglio techniques: aquatint, soft-ground etching, and drypoint, meticulously applied to cream wove paper. Cassatt mastered these difficult processes to achieve subtle tonal variations and textural depth, effects typically associated with painting rather than prints. The employment of aquatint creates delicate gradations of tone and shadow, while the soft-ground etching allows for a sensitive, sketch-like quality in the rendering of forms and textiles.

The subject, likely the artist's sister Lydia, is captured in a private moment of quiet domesticity, a theme central to Cassatt's mature output and characteristic of the Impressionist focus on modern life. During this period, Cassatt was deeply engaged in expanding the possibilities of printmaking, inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts and collaborative experimentation with Edgar Degas.

As a leading figure in both the French Impressionist movement and late 19th-century art from the United States, Cassatt championed the formal and expressive potential of the original fine art print. Her intense focus on draftsmanship and the manipulation of light is fully evident in this piece. This exemplary work, which contributes critically to the history of prints, is currently held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Given its age and cultural importance, high-resolution images of many of Cassatt's works are frequently found within the public domain.