Mother and Child - Mary Cassatt
Archival giclée
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Description
A tender, impressionist study of a mother and child by Mary Cassatt, capturing a quiet moment of domestic affection through soft brushwork.
Mary Cassatt, an American painter who spent much of her career in France, produced numerous works exploring the domestic bond between mother and child. This piece captures a quiet, private moment of affection. The composition focuses on the physical closeness of the figures, with the mother leaning forward to embrace the child. Their faces are obscured, shifting the viewer's attention to the gesture of the embrace and the tactile quality of their clothing.
Cassatt employs a technique characteristic of her mature period, using visible, short brushstrokes to build form and texture. The background features a patterned surface, likely wallpaper, which provides a decorative contrast to the soft, rounded shapes of the figures. The palette consists of muted blues, creams, and soft flesh tones, creating a sense of calm. Unlike the more formal portraiture of the era, this work prioritises the candid nature of the interaction.
By choosing to depict these subjects in a domestic setting, Cassatt aligns with the Impressionist interest in modern life. She avoids sentimental artifice, opting instead for a direct observation of daily experience. The influence of Japanese woodblock prints, which Cassatt studied extensively during this time, is visible in the flattened perspective and the emphasis on line and pattern. The work remains a primary example of her ability to elevate everyday scenes through careful observation and technical skill. The focus on the mother's dark garment against the child's lighter attire creates a visual balance that anchors the composition, while the surrounding texture adds a sense of atmosphere to the intimate scene.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Mother and Child - Mary Cassatt
Artist Biography
Mary Cassatt
She grew up in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), in a prosperous family. She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she found the instruction restrictive and the male students hostile. She moved to Paris in 1866, copied old masters in the Louvre, and studied privately with several painters before finding her direction with the Impressionists.
Her subject was women and children in domestic settings: mothers bathing infants, women reading, girls at the opera, women having tea. The subject matter sounds conventional. The treatment is not. She observed her subjects with the same unsentimental attention Degas brought to dancers. The compositions are cropped and angled, influenced by Japanese prints and by Degas's habit of painting people from unexpected viewpoints. Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878) shows a child sprawled across a chair with the boredom and physical abandon that adults rarely notice and painters rarely record.
She never married. She was wealthy enough not to need to sell her work. She used her position and her connections to persuade American collectors, particularly the Havemeyers, to buy Impressionist paintings. The Havemeyer collection, much of it acquired on Cassatt's advice, was donated to the Metropolitan Museum. She shaped the taste of American collectors more than any other single individual.
She developed cataracts and was nearly blind by 1914. She stopped painting. She died in 1926, at eighty-two.
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