The Fitting

Mary Cassatt

1890–91 · Drypoint and aquatint, printed in color from three plates; seventh state of seven (Mathews & Shapiro) · Drawings and Prints

This image contrasts an elegant woman having her patterned gown fitted with the kneeling form of a seamstress, who wears a simple brown dress. It is one in a set of ten color prints that Cassatt showed at her first independent exhibition, held at the Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris, in 1891. All depict women engaged in everyday activities, with four using mirrors to extend and complicate the pictorial space. In this seventh state of The Fitting, donated by Paul J. Sachs, the artist expertly printed three plates sequentially to create subtly layered patterns.

Artist

Mary Cassatt

Date

1890–91

Medium

Drypoint and aquatint, printed in color from three plates; seventh state of seven (Mathews & Shapiro)

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of Paul J. Sachs, 1916