Under the Lamp

The intimate scene titled Under the Lamp was created by American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) in 1882. This work is a superb example of Cassatt’s mastery of graphic techniques, executed using soft ground etching and aquatint in black ink on cream wove paper. As a classification of printmaking, this medium allowed Cassatt to experiment rigorously with tonal variations and textures, which were crucial technical elements being explored by artists during the height of the Impressionism movement.

Though Cassatt was a prominent expatriate who spent most of her professional career in France, her artistic contributions were fundamentally important to the United States. She stands as one of the few American artists fully embraced by the French Impressionist circle. Works like this often focus on interior domesticity, portraying women engaged in private, quiet activities such as reading or sewing. The title Under the Lamp implies a careful study of artificial light—a fascination shared by her Parisian peers—where the illumination dictates sharp contrasts of light and deep shadow, focusing the viewer’s attention onto the central figure or composition.

Cassatt meticulously employed the combination of soft ground etching, which captures the subtle fluidity of the initial drawing, and aquatint, used to create broad, granular areas of tone. This technical demanding process allowed the artist to translate the immediacy of her painted observations into reproducible fine art prints. As a crucial artifact of the late 19th-century graphic arts revival, this piece is now part of the extensive permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. High-resolution images of many of Cassatt’s works, including significant Impressionism era prints, are frequently made available in the public domain for scholarly study and global appreciation.