The Lamp 1890 - 1891

Editor: This is Mary Cassatt's "The Lamp," a print housed at the Harvard Art Museums. The soft colors and domestic scene give it a very intimate feel. What can you tell me about this image? Curator: Cassatt, a privileged American expatriate, often depicted women in domestic spaces. But let's consider whose stories aren't being told here. What about the unseen labor that maintains this quiet interior? Are we complicit in idealizing a limited perspective of 19th-century womanhood? Editor: That's a really interesting point. I hadn't thought about the absences in the image. Curator: Exactly. Analyzing what's *not* shown challenges the dominant narrative, opening space for critical discussions about gender, class, and representation. Editor: That’s given me a lot to think about. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, this is just the beginning of a deeper investigation!