Peasant Mother and Child

Peasant Mother and Child by Mary Cassatt, created in 1894, is a defining example of the artist's pioneering experimentation with color printmaking and her celebrated dedication to intimate domestic subjects. Classified as a print, this work was executed using the technically demanding combination of color drypoint and aquatint, a medium Cassatt meticulously developed to achieve painterly effects in graphic form during the fin de siècle period.

The composition centers on the universal theme of maternal affection, rendered with the empathetic directness typical of Cassatt’s mature style. The use of drypoint allows Cassatt to achieve both the crisp, spontaneous lines characteristic of her drawing and the soft, atmospheric fields of tone provided by aquatint, crucial for depicting the volume and tender closeness of the figures. Cassatt’s printmaking techniques allowed her to manipulate color and texture, positioning her at the forefront of the revival of original prints in the late nineteenth century.

As an American artist residing primarily in France, Cassatt played a pivotal role in bridging European Impressionism with the developing art scene of the United States during the significant art historical period spanning 1876 to 1900. Her focused exploration of motherhood, domestic life, and the private sphere provided a unique counterpoint to the male-dominated Salon culture. This significant American print, which exemplifies Cassatt's dedication to prints as an independent art form, is housed in the prestigious collection of the National Gallery of Art. Due to the work's age and historical importance, high-resolution prints of this image are frequently accessible to researchers, often falling into the public domain, ensuring its lasting influence on the study of late 19th-century graphic arts.