The Coiffure

The Coiffure is a complex and highly influential color print created by the American Impressionist Mary Cassatt between 1890 and 1891. This major work showcases Cassatt’s sophisticated mastery of multiple etching techniques, specifically employing color aquatint and drypoint from three separate plates onto ivory laid paper. The artist collaborated closely with the esteemed French printmaker Leroy to achieve the delicate registration and controlled tonal variations seen in the finished piece.

Created during a crucial period in Cassatt’s career, this work reflects her deep engagement with Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which were immensely popular in Paris during the late 19th century. This influence is evident in the high viewpoint, the strong diagonal lines defining the space, and the use of decorative surface patterns, characteristics that distanced her innovative prints from traditional Western etching.

The subject matter, a woman engaged in the private ritual of styling her hair, is quintessential of Cassatt’s focus on the intimate domestic lives of women. By rendering this often overlooked subject with dignity and formal precision, Cassatt elevated scenes of everyday life. The rich textures achieved through the careful manipulation of the drypoint needle demonstrate her technical brilliance in a medium rarely explored by women artists of her era. This stunning example of printmaking history remains a cornerstone of the artistic contributions of the United States to the Impressionist movement and is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.