Waiting

Waiting, created circa 1879-1880 by American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), is a seminal example of her graphic work produced during her time in Paris. This distinctive print was executed using the demanding technique of soft ground etching coupled with aquatint, rendered exclusively in black ink on buff wove paper. Cassatt, deeply influenced by the burgeoning Impressionist movement and the compositional elements derived from Japanese woodcuts, utilized these combined media to achieve subtle tonal shifts and textural complexity that suited her intimate subject matter.

This focus on modern subjects—frequently depicting women in private, transitional moments—was central to Cassatt's output as an artist associated with the French Impressionists, despite her origins in the United States. Classified specifically as a print, the work demonstrates her dedicated experimentation with printmaking processes during the late 1870s, a period when she began exhibiting regularly alongside artists like Degas.

Cassatt’s sophisticated handling of aquatint allowed her to introduce deep fields of tone and shadow, lending the image a powerful sense of atmosphere appropriate for the implied subject of quiet introspection suggested by the title, Waiting. The piece confirms her status as a crucial American voice operating within the European avant-garde. This important example resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a key reference for understanding Cassatt’s mastery of graphic arts.