Afternoon Tea Party

Art Historical Context

Mary Cassatt's *Afternoon Tea Party* (1890–91) captures an intimate moment of bourgeois leisure, showcasing the artist's signature focus on women in everyday domestic scenes. As an American Impressionist living in Paris, Cassatt was a close associate of Edgar Degas and exhibited with the Impressionists. This print reflects her fascination with Japanese ukiyo-e woodblocks, which inspired her innovative color print series during this period—a bold departure from traditional European printmaking. Executed in color aquatint and drypoint on ivory laid paper, with delicate brush additions and touches of gold, the work demonstrates Cassatt's technical mastery. Aquatint provides soft tonal gradations for luminous effects, while drypoint incised lines add expressive detail, mimicking the spontaneity of her paintings. The modest dimensions—image 34.8 × 27 cm—invite close viewing, emphasizing textures like fabric folds and subtle light play. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this piece highlights Cassatt's role in elevating printmaking as fine art. It offers a window into late 19th-century French social life, celebrating female camaraderie with warmth and elegance that continues to enchant visitors today.

About the Artist

Mary Cassatt · 1844–1926

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was an American painter and printmaker who became the only American artist to exhibit with the French Impressionists. Born to a wealthy Pennsylvania family, she defied social conventions to pursue art professionally, settling permanently in Paris where Edgar Degas invited her to join the Impressionist group in 1877. Her paintings of mothers and children—rendered with Impre...