The Coiffure

The Coiffure is a significant print created between 1890 and 1891 by American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) in collaboration with French printer Leroy (active 1876-1900). This delicate work is a color aquatint with drypoint, meticulously rendered using three separate plates on ivory laid paper. Cassatt's deep foray into color printmaking in the early 1890s marked a pivotal moment in her graphic career, inspired by the compositional structures and flatness of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

In this intimate scene, Cassatt continues her characteristic focus on the quiet rituals of women's private lives. The composition centers on a woman arranging or having her hair styled (a coiffure), viewed from a high or oblique angle that emphasizes pattern and contour rather than traditional Western perspective. Cassatt often depicted similar subjects, elevating the domestic sphere to high art. The drypoint lines lend crisp definition to the figure, contrasting with the soft, modulated tones achieved through the aquatint technique. The piece exemplifies the late 19th-century fascination with simplified forms prevalent among Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists in both the United States and France.

Cassatt’s mastery of technical processes solidified her reputation as one of the leading innovators in modern prints. Executing color prints required rigorous control over alignment and color registration across the three plates, showcasing the artist's dedication to the medium. The resulting aesthetic merges the graphic tradition of the United States with the French avant-garde, forming a key example of Cassatt’s mature graphic output. This important piece is currently preserved in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.