Mr. and Mrs. Cassatt Reading

Mr. and Mrs. Cassatt Reading is a significant print created by American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), executed between 1877 and 1887. This intimate domestic scene is rendered using soft-ground etching in black on cream laid paper, showcasing the artist's intense focus on mastering various printing techniques early in her career. Although Cassatt is widely celebrated for her Impressionist oil paintings of women and children, her extensive body of graphic works demonstrates a profound technical precision essential to the classification of prints. The soft-ground etching method, which allowed Cassatt to capture the tonal quality of a pencil drawing, lends the image a delicate, private atmosphere perfectly suited to the familial subject.

The artwork likely depicts the artist’s parents, Robert and Katherine Cassatt, engaged in quiet, shared intellectual activity. The composition aligns with Cassatt’s broader fascination with portraying the private, unposed lives of middle-class individuals, offering an intimate glimpse into domestic environments typical of the late nineteenth century. While primarily based in France, Cassatt maintained close ties to her cultural roots in the United States, and her dedication to printmaking helped elevate the status of graphic arts both internationally and within American art circles. Dating from a pivotal transitional period, the work showcases the subtle psychological depth Cassatt could achieve even in smaller, monochromatic formats. This important work is preserved in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.