Mimi Holding a Japanese Fan

"Mimi Holding a Japanese Fan" by Mary Cassatt, executed in 1889, is a masterful example of the artist’s dedication to the graphic arts during the late 19th century. This particular print utilizes the delicate and demanding technique of drypoint on laid paper. Drypoint, an intaglio process where the image is scored directly into the printing plate using a sharp tool, yields characteristic velvety, burred lines, visible in the soft contours of the sitter. Cassatt frequently explored this medium between 1876 and 1900, translating the immediacy and light sensibility of Impressionism into repeatable graphic forms.

The subject is a young girl, Mimi, captured in a seemingly private moment of contemplation. The composition is defined by the prominently held Japanese fan, an object that directly references the profound cultural exchange known as Japonisme that swept through European and American art movements of the era. Cassatt was particularly inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, adapting their flattened perspectives and strong compositional outlines to her own focus on domesticity and the lives of women and children. In this work, the simplicity of the drypoint technique focuses attention on Mimi’s expressive posture and the intricate patterns of the fan.

This American print underscores Cassatt’s pivotal role in elevating printmaking from a reproductive medium to an original art form. She skillfully manipulated the textures inherent in the drypoint process to achieve a nuanced depth, contrasting the darkness of the figure with the relative lightness of the ground. The work remains an important document of her dedication to the graphic arts and her unique approach to capturing intimate genre scenes. This significant piece is part of the expansive prints collection housed at the National Gallery of Art, contributing to the wealth of historical artwork now available through the public domain.