The Fitting

Art Historical Context

Mary Cassatt's *The Fitting* (1890–91) captures an intimate moment of a woman being fitted for a dress, rendered in her signature soft, luminous style as an American Impressionist deeply embedded in the French art scene. Living in Paris and exhibiting with the Impressionists, Cassatt often depicted women's everyday lives—motherhood, leisure, and domesticity—with a fresh, empathetic gaze that challenged traditional portraiture. This print, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, exemplifies her fascination with the private sphere during the late 19th century, a time when women's roles were evolving amid rapid social changes. Crafted in color aquatint and drypoint on ivory laid paper (plate: 37.7 × 25.6 cm), *The Fitting* showcases Cassatt's innovative printmaking techniques. Aquatint allowed her to achieve subtle tonal gradations mimicking watercolor's fluidity, while drypoint added delicate, velvety lines for texture and detail. Inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e prints, she pioneered multi-plate color printing in the West, layering up to 10 plates for vibrant yet harmonious hues. This technical mastery elevated prints from mere reproductions to standalone artworks, influencing modern graphic arts. Visitors will appreciate how *The Fitting* invites reflection on femininity and craftsmanship, blending artistry with quiet narrative elegance—a timeless gem from Cassatt's celebrated color print series.

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...