The Bath 1890 - 1891

Mary Cassatt made this print, "The Bath," using etching and aquatint, processes that rely on acid to eat into a metal plate, leaving an image that can then be printed onto paper. The etching gives us the crisp lines defining the figures, while the aquatint lends a soft, tonal quality, like the gentle curve of the bath itself. Cassatt’s adoption of printmaking was radical. Instead of the traditional medium of painting, with its history of mastery, she chose a medium more closely associated with commercial reproduction. She was deeply inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, which were becoming increasingly available in Europe at the time, but she translated that influence through her own skilled hand. It's interesting to consider the labor involved. Each print requires careful work, from preparing the plate to the delicate process of applying acid. It brings the work closer to craft than to fine art, a deliberate move by Cassatt, challenging those boundaries and offering a glimpse into the everyday lives of women.