Art Institute of Chicago
The Letter
Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926)LinkedCulture matchlcp-1a8df4849ac8
- Date
- 1890–91
- Medium
- Color aquatint and drypoint on off-white laid paper
- Culture
- United States
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 13508
Mary Cassatt began a series of color prints in 1890 that exemplify her indebtedness to Japanese color woodblock prints and her thematic focus on figures in interiors. In The Letter , Cassatt used the patterns of the woman's dress and wallpaper as well as vibrant printing inks to manipulate space and formal elements inspired by Japanese art. The subject matter reflects the artist's focus on women indoors because contemporary social mores restricted their activities outside the home.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection
- Provenance
- The artist to Durand-Ruel [Chicago 1998]. Albert Roullier, Chicago [Chicago 1998]. Given by Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson, Chicago, to the Art Institute, 1932.
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300041273
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