The Cup of Tea

Mary Cassatt

ca. 1880–81 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Taking afternoon tea was a social ritual for many upper-middle-class women. Committed to portraying the ordinary events of everyday life, the artist made that ritual the subject of a series of works painted around 1880, when she had been living abroad for the better part of a decade. Her model for this canvas was her sister, Lydia, who had moved to Paris, along with their parents, in 1877 and often posed for her. Cassatt’s embrace of French Impressionism is signaled by her scintillating brushwork, high-keyed palette, and emphasis on contrasting complementary colors. Cassatt showed the painting to critical acclaim in the 1881 Impressionist exhibition.

Artist

Mary Cassatt

Date

ca. 1880–81

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

From the Collection of James Stillman, Gift of Dr. Ernest G. Stillman, 1922