Peasant Mother and Child

Peasant Mother and Child is a significant drypoint print created by Mary Cassatt in 1894. This highly characteristic work exemplifies Cassatt’s dedicated exploration of the maternal theme, which dominated her output during the late 19th century. Executed entirely in drypoint, the technique allowed Cassatt to achieve rich, velvety black lines and subtle gradations of tone by incising directly into the copper plate. The displaced metal burrs, which hold the ink during the printing process, lend a characteristic burr or fuzziness to the printed line, especially visible in the shadows and contours of the figures.

Produced during the period spanning 1876 to 1900, the work reflects the growing international interest in printmaking as a major artistic medium. While often associated with French Impressionism due to her long residence in Paris and her close working relationship with Edgar Degas, Cassatt was a pioneering American artist whose unique visual language focused sharply on the intimate, private life of women and children. This particular image moves away from the formal, middle-class parlor scenes typical of some of her pastels, instead focusing on a more humble setting, emphasizing the simple, yet profound, connection between the mother and her infant.

Cassatt’s genius lay in her ability to capture unidealized, genuine human interaction. The immediate, expressive nature of drypoint perfectly suited her goal of depicting a moment of quiet, natural intimacy between the figures. The sharp, evocative lines underscore the emotional authenticity of the interaction, a hallmark of Cassatt’s approach to the subject throughout her career. The piece demonstrates her sophisticated mastery of graphic techniques developed during this period.

Today, this important American contribution to fin-de-siècle art resides in the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art. Thanks to its status and age, high-resolution reproductions of the print are frequently available in the public domain, allowing broader access for research and study of Cassatt’s influential body of prints.