The Coiffure

The Coiffure is a significant print created by Mary Cassatt between 1890 and 1891. This intimate depiction of a woman attending to her hair exemplifies the artist's dedication to capturing domestic life and the private world of women. The work is classified as a print and utilizes the challenging processes of drypoint and aquatint, techniques Cassatt mastered during the height of her productivity in the late 19th century.

Produced during the period spanning 1876 to 1900, the composition reflects the powerful influence of Japonisme prevalent in the visual arts during this era. Cassatt’s innovative use of drypoint allows for fine, delicate lines that define the figure, while the aquatint provides soft, tonal areas. This combination allowed her to achieve the bold contours, decorative patterns, and flat spatial arrangements found in Japanese ukiyo-e prints, which she often studied.

Unlike many of her Impressionist contemporaries who focused on public life, Cassatt frequently confined her gaze to domestic interiors and feminine rituals, emphasizing moments of quiet contemplation and preparation, such as the arrangement of hair evident in this piece. The sharp angles and downward perspective create a sense of immediacy, drawing the viewer into the woman's personal space while maintaining the formal rigidity characteristic of her graphic works.

As one of the preeminent American artists working successfully in Paris, Cassatt translated European printmaking traditions into distinctly modern compositions. The technical skill and compositional rigor evidenced in this piece solidified her reputation as a major graphic artist. This important print is part of the distinguished collection at the National Gallery of Art. Because of its age and cultural significance, the original work is highly conserved, but high-quality photographic reproductions of her iconic prints are widely available today, often found within the public domain.