The Bath [recto]

The Bath [recto] by Mary Cassatt is a seminal drawing executed between 1890 and 1891, solidifying her commitment to themes of domesticity and the private lives of women. Classified as a drawing, this work utilizes the highly effective combination of graphite and black crayon, allowing Cassatt to explore form, volume, and line work with deliberate clarity. This preparatory drawing reveals the investigative nature of her process, often leading directly into her celebrated series of color prints created around the same period.

Created within the pivotal late nineteenth century period of 1876 to 1900, this piece reflects the high point of Cassatt’s engagement with Japanese woodblock prints. Unlike many of her Impressionist contemporaries, Cassatt embraced the influence of ukiyo-e aesthetics, favoring flattened spatial planes, bold outlines, and a unique perspective often looking down upon the scene. This American artist’s choice of subject matter—the intimacy of a mother bathing her child—transforms an everyday ritual into a moment of formal grace and universal maternal dignity.

The application of graphite provides underlying structure, while the black crayon adds necessary shadow and weight, giving the figures a tactile presence. Cassatt’s draughtsmanship during this era focused on defining the structural relationship between the two figures, emphasizing the protective embrace of the adult and the vulnerability of the child. This detailed study underscores Cassatt’s mastery in the graphic arts, providing essential insight into how she planned the complex compositions that would later inform her famous print cycles. This significant drawing is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., representing a crucial moment in the development of late nineteenth-century American art.