Lace

Art Historical Context

Mary Cassatt's pastel drawing After the Bath, completed in 1901, presents a mother and child in a moment of quiet closeness, a theme the American artist (1844–1926) returned to throughout her career. Cassatt first explored pastels in the 1870s and continued experimenting with the medium for many years, valuing its ability to convey both color and texture in a single, immediate stroke. In this work she employs her typical method of finishing the sitters' faces with careful detail while leaving the surrounding forms loose and sketch-like. The contrast focuses attention on the figures' expressions and the gentle bond between them, turning an everyday scene into something intimate and memorable. As a drawing now in the museum's collection through the gift of J. H. Wade, After the Bath offers visitors a clear view of Cassatt's mature handling of pastel and her lasting interest in the private world of women and children.