The Bath

The Bath is a significant print created by Mary Cassatt between 1890 and 1891. This exceptional work, classified as a print, utilizes a sophisticated combination of color drypoint, softground etching, and aquatint applied to laid paper. Cassatt, an American artist living primarily in France, was a leading figure among the Impressionists and dedicated herself heavily to printmaking during the productive period of 1876 to 1900. Her decisive shift towards complex graphic arts techniques was directly influenced by an exhibition of Japanese ukiyo-e masters she attended in Paris in 1890.

This piece, like many of her seminal works, explores the intimate subject of motherhood and daily domestic ritual, depicting a woman carefully tending to a child’s bath. Cassatt employed printmaking to transform these private moments into formally structured compositions. The Bath is notable for its bold outline, flattened space, and decorative patterning, elements directly borrowed from Japanese woodblock design. She skillfully manipulated the various intaglio processes-etching for line work, drypoint for rich texture, and aquatint for broad color washes-to achieve delicate yet saturated tones that mimic the effects of oil paint.

The development of her color prints during this era solidified Cassatt’s reputation not just as a painter, but as a master technician capable of balancing color and form in a two-dimensional medium. The composition’s strength lies in its quiet dignity and the geometric structure underpinning the figures. This superb example of American graphic arts resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. The 1890s marked the peak of her experimentation with color prints, securing her legacy as a pioneering figure in modern art. As a celebrated work from the period 1876 to 1900, this piece remains widely studied, and high-resolution reproductions of her influential works are often available through public domain initiatives.