The Letter

"The Letter," created by the American Impressionist Mary Cassatt between 1890 and 1891, is a masterful example of color printmaking from the late nineteenth century. The complexity of the piece arises from Cassatt’s meticulous use of multiple intaglio processes, specifically combining color softground etching, drypoint, and aquatint on laid paper. This technically challenging mixture allowed the artist to achieve subtle gradations of color and texture rarely seen in prints of the 1876 to 1900 period.

This work belongs to a significant series of ten prints produced by Cassatt following her 1890 viewing of Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts in Paris. The profound influence of these masters is evident in the flattening of the picture plane, the asymmetrical composition, and the bold, often outlined, forms defining the figure. Cassatt translated the graphic strength of the Japanese style into her own Impressionist aesthetic, prioritizing contemporary domestic scenes and the private lives of women. The subject matter captures a solitary figure intently focused on the act of sealing a correspondence, a common intimate gesture that Cassatt elevated to the level of high art.

Cassatt's dedication to printmaking solidified her position as a leading American artist working abroad. Her extraordinary control over color registration and linear detail in this piece, particularly through the fine lines produced by drypoint, showcases the technical brilliance behind her artistic vision. By adopting printmaking techniques typically associated with reproductive art and applying them to original, intimate genre scenes, Cassatt helped elevate the status of the medium. This highly regarded print, which includes aspects frequently reproduced in public domain collections, resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it serves as a critical document of artistic cross-cultural influence and late-nineteenth-century experimentation.