The Visitor c. 1880

Mary Cassatt created this print, titled "The Visitor," employing etching and aquatint. Notice the chair, offered in gesture by the standing woman to her seated companion. It symbolizes more than mere rest. Throughout art history, the offering or presence of a chair can denote invitation, welcome, and, most subtly, an acknowledgment of status. One recalls the "cathedra," the bishop’s chair, a symbol of authority and teaching. Here, the chair, though domestic, carries the weight of social exchange. Cassatt, with a few lines, evokes the complex dance of relationships, the unspoken dialogue of offering and acceptance. Observe how this simple motif bridges epochs, echoing in the symbols we use to navigate our social worlds.