The Drawing Lesson (Berthe Morisot and her Daughter)

The Drawing Lesson (Berthe Morisot and her Daughter) is a powerful and intimate drypoint print created by Berthe Morisot in 1889. This late Impressionist work, executed on wove paper, showcases Morisot's command of etching techniques, a medium she embraced alongside her more famous oil paintings and watercolors. Drypoint, which involves scratching the image directly onto the plate with a sharp needle, raises a distinctive burr that gives the finished print a characteristically soft, velvety line, evident here in the delicate shading and texture.

The piece functions as a deeply personal self-portrait, capturing the artist seated next to her only child, Julie Manet, who appears engrossed in a drawing activity. Morisot frequently used her immediate family and domestic interiors as subjects, challenging the gendered limitations imposed on 19th-century female artists by turning her gaze inward. While many Impressionists focused on public life, this work highlights the intellectual and maternal roles of women within the domestic sphere. The informal composition and rapid, suggestive lines common to Morisot's style translate effectively into this print format, maintaining the sense of fleeting moment and light characteristic of Impressionism.

Created late in Morisot’s career, this piece provides valuable insight into her private life and her commitment to working outside of traditional painting. As a dedicated printmaker, Morisot expanded her artistic reach, and works like this demonstrate why she remains central to the history of Impressionism. This significant print, illustrating themes of motherhood and the creative education of young women, currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.