The Fitting [recto]

1890-1891

Mary Cassatt

Associated Names
Mary Cassatt

Artist, American, 1844 - 1926

The sketch displays the upper bodies of two women with another figure seated with their back toward the viewer in the foreground. The central woman is in a slightly turned position with one arm bent, her hand resting on her opposite shoulder, and delicately drawn facial features with closed eyes and a gentle expression. She has an updo with a side bun. The woman in the background, standing slightly behind and to the left, is also in a similar pose, facing away from the viewer, presenting only the back of her head and her profile. They are both dressed in loosely fitted garments and there are no visible jewelry or objects being held. The background is minimally detailed with faint abstract benches or walls suggested by light lines. The drawing appears unfinished with visible lines suggesting movement or position adjustments.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    graphite over black chalk on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 49.5 × 30.3 cm (19 1/2 × 11 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1954.12.7.a

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Breeskin 1970, no. 807

Associated Artworks

The image shows a sketch of four standing figures with their upper bodies visible. The figures are arranged with two in the foreground and two in the background. Their facial features are minimally detailed, and only the contours are shown. The two figures in the foreground have their heads slightly bowed. The figures in the background are positioned one behind the other. The figures appear unclothed, with outlines of their bodies drawn. There are no visible accessories or objects. The background is plain, suggesting an unfurnished room. A note reading "PH 32" is in the top left corner.

The Fitting [verso]

Mary Cassatt

1890

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1962

  • Paintings, drawings and graphic works by Manet, Degas, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt, Baltimore Museum of Art, 1962, no. 123.

  • Drawings from the National Gallery of Art Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1962.

1963

  • Prints and Drawings by Mary Cassatt, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1963.

1964

  • Prints by Mary Cassatt, organized by the Smithsonian Travelling Exhibition Service and circulated to 10 venues (Vassar College Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY; Norton Gallery & School of Art, Palm Beach, FL; University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI; Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS; Charles & Emma Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, NH; Columbus Gallery of Fine Art, Columbus, OH; Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA; and A.D. White Museum of Art at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY), 1964-1965.

1981

  • American Prints: Process and Proofs, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, 1981-1982.

1986

  • Graphics Survey Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., October 1986.

1989

  • Mary Cassatt: The Color Prints, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, 1989-1990., no. 10-III, repro.

1992

  • Lessing Rosenwald: An Exemplary Collector, Kunsthalle Bremen, Germany, 1992.

Bibliography

1970

  • Breeskin, Adelyn Dohme. Mary Cassatt: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oils, Pastels, Watercolors, and Drawings. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1970, no. 807.

1989

  • Mathews, Nancy Mowll, and Barbara Stern Shapiro. Mary Cassatt: The Color Prints. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1989, pp. 125-126, fig. 9-2.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: MC

Markings

none

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64607655

You may be interested in

Loading Results