In the Omnibus

1890-1891

Mary Cassatt

Associated Names
Mary Cassatt

Artist, American, 1844 - 1926

Printed with black lines and areas of dark gray on cream-white paper, two women, one holding a baby on her lap, sit on the long bench seat of an omnibus in this vertical composition. The women and their full skirts take up almost the width of the composition against the gray bench, which extends off both sides. The woman to our left wears a high-collared dress, gloves, and hat. She looks off to our right, almost in profile. She has a round face and the hint of a double chin. One gloved hand rests on a cane. The other woman holds the baby and tips her head down toward the child. Both women’s black hair is pulled up under their hats. The baby wears a white bonnet, a blousy garment, stockings, and shoes, and holds a gray ball in one hand. A row of windows behind them, parallel to the top of the bench, open onto an arched bridge spanning a river with boats. To our left, the water’s edge is lined with puffy forms reminiscent of trees and bushes. The artist signed the work with her initials in graphite in the bottom right, “MC.”

Media Options

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On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery M87


Artwork overview

  • Medium

    drypoint and aquatint on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 36.51 × 26.67 cm (14 3/8 × 10 1/2 in.)
    sheet: 45.8 × 31.5 cm (18 1/16 × 12 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.2752

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Mathews and Shapiro 1989, no. 7, iv/vii

More About this Artwork

The image depicts a seated woman wearing a large coat and skirt. She is seated with her body angled to the side, head turned slightly towards the viewer. The woman has delicate facial features, with her hair covered by a fluffy hat. Her hands are resting in her lap as she sits on a wide chair. She is not wearing any visible jewelry or holding any objects. The background features simple vertical lines resembling a plain interior wall, creating a minimalist setting.

Interactive Article:  Mary Cassatt, the Daring Printmaker

The pioneering American impressionist was one of the most innovative printmakers of her generation.


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1951

  • Mary Cassatt and her Parisian Friends, Pasadena Art Institute, CA, 1951, no. 38.

1982

  • Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1982, no. 91, repro.

1989

  • Mary Cassatt: The Color Prints, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Williams College Museum of Art, Williamston, MA, 1989-1990, no. 7-IV, repro.

2001

  • The Unfinished Print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001.

Bibliography

1979

  • Breeskin, Adelyn Dohme. Mary Cassatt: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Graphic Work. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979, no. 145, ii-iii/iv.

1982

  • Fine, Ruth E. Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1982, no. 91.

1989

  • Mathews, Nancy Mowll, and Barbara Stern Shapiro. Mary Cassatt: The Color Prints. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1989, no. 7, iv/vii.

Inscriptions

recto: at lower right in graphite: M.C.; verso: at upper left in graphite in later hand: 1546

Markings

recto: none; verso: National Gallery of Art

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64960351

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