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The image features an upper three-quarters view of a person sitting in a chair. The person is positioned slightly turned to the side, with their left hand raised to their face, touching their chin. The facial features are subtly outlined, with short and neatly groomed hair. The clothing appears to be a loose, flowing garment draped over their shoulders, with a darker line or pattern near the edge. In the background, there is a faint outline of a vase with flowers or reeds. The overall tone of the artwork is in muted sepia. There are no clear indications of jewelry or objects being held. The background is softly textured.
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The image features an upper three-quarters view of a person sitting in a chair. The person is positioned slightly turned to the side, with their left hand raised to their face, touching their chin. The facial features are subtly outlined, with short and neatly groomed hair. The clothing appears to be a loose, flowing garment draped over their shoulders, with a darker line or pattern near the edge. In the background, there is a faint outline of a vase with flowers or reeds. The overall tone of the artwork is in muted sepia. There are no clear indications of jewelry or objects being held. The background is softly textured.

National Gallery of Art · Print

A Portrait of the Artist's Mother

Mary Cassatt

Date
c. 1889-1890
Medium
softground etching and aquatint printed in brown on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 25.24 × 17.94 cm (9 15/16 × 7 1/16 in.) sheet: 35.5 x 21.1 cm (14 x 8 5/16 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1949.5.468
Credit line
Rosenwald Collection
Time span
1876 to 1900
Department
CG-W
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • Seated figure
  • Impressionist
  • Woman
  • Portrait
  • Dress
  • mother
  • figure
Provenance

Harris Whittemore [1864-1927], Naugatuck, CT, 1919; (his sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 17 January 1949, no. 38); (Charles Sessler, Philadelphia, PA); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA, 1949; gift to the NGA, 1949.

Inscription

recto: below image, at right, in graphite: Mary Cassatt; at bottom left, in graphite, in later hand: 3 NY 558; verso: none

Marks

none

Watermarks

oval with seated figure holding a spear and shield, mounted by a crown

NGA object ID 36922. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.