Mary Cassatt (1844–1946). The Letter, 1890–91. Drypoint and aquatint on cream laid paper, 34.4 x 21.1 cm. S.P. Avery Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

In 1853 Matthew Perry, an American naval officer, was sent on a mission to Japan, a country that had been closed to outsiders since the 17th century. With the intimidating threat of a powerful fleet, the Japanese signed a treaty on March 31, 1854 that permitted U.S. ships to buy coal in Japan, and opened Japanese ports to U.S. commerce. Perry’s mission ended Japan’s isolation and began a flood of foreign imports into Western markets in the U.S. and Europe. America was rising as a Pacific power, invested in expanding trade and influence with China and Japan. Many Western artists turned to the philosophies and artistic practices of “the Orient” as an alternative to European sources of cultural identity and creative inspiration and developed an appreciation of Asian art and teachings. Woodblock prints with images of everyday life by masters of the ukiyo-e school appealed to many artists of the day and proved to be enormously influential. In the 1870s the term japonisme was coined to refer to this influence of Asian and especially Japanese culture on Western art.

Although best known for her perceptive painted depictions of women and children, Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) was also an accomplished printmaker. After seeing the 1890 exhibition of Japanese woodcuts in Paris, Cassatt decided to create a series of prints. She adapted the ukiyo-e (the floating world) theme of women’s everyday lives to scenes showing a modern French woman, as she went about caring for a child, trying on a dress, and, in this work, sealing an envelope.

In The Letter, the influence of Japanese prints can be seen in the bold patterns in the wallpaper and dress, strong color blocks, and a sense of flattened, compressed space. Cassatt translates these formal elements into a scene of personal significance. For Cassatt, who was an American expatriate living in Paris, letter writing would have been the way she kept in touch with family and friends. The drop-leaf desk that is included in this composition still belongs to the artist’s family, and it is thought that Cassatt may have used it to write letters.

• Describe The Letter as carefully as you can. Consider the subject, composition, point of view, colors, and patterns.
• Some of the qualities that Cassatt admired in Japanese woodblock prints included unusual angles and shapes, strong linear outlines, an emphasis on flat planes, asymmetrical compositions, aerial perspective, and decorative motifs. How many of these attributes can you find in her image? Explain.
• Mary Cassatt owned Japanese prints by Kitagawa Utamaro (1753–1806) and displayed them in her home alongside her own work. Like Cassatt, Utamaro was inspired by everyday events. Compare and contrast these two prints. In what ways are they similar? How are they different from each other?
• Some of the daily activities depicted in Cassatt’s suite of 10 prints include bathing a child, being fitted for a dress, washing, hugging a child, and socializing at an afternoon tea party. View all the prints in this series. If you were to select 10 activities in the life of a typical 21st-century woman, what would they be?

• As a late 19th-century woman from a wealthy family, Cassatt would have been expected to marry, have a family, and attend to running a household. Instead Cassatt defied the expectations of her time, announcing to her family that she wanted to pursue her own independent career as an artist. Research the role of women in the late 19th century and how it has changed over the past century. What changes and challenges do you think lie ahead for women in the 21st century? Explain your response.
  Social Studies


• Imagine a meeting between the women in the Cassatt and Utamaro prints. How might they interact? With a partner, create a dialogue between these two women. You may want to base this conversation on research, or solely on the clues that that these two works present.
  English / Language Arts


• In the 1890s correspondence would have consumed a large part of a woman’s day. She would not only write to friends and acquaintances, but was also expected to answer invitations and inquiries. What do you think this letter might be about? Write the letter that might be contained in this envelope. Share your letter with your classmates. Did they have similar or different ideas about the subject of this correspondence?
  English / Language Arts


• Because it requires the use of sharp chisels and gouges, woodblock printing is appropriate only for older students. However, younger students can create their own relief prints with less resistant materials including linoleum, rubber stamps, potato prints, Styrofoam prints, and other commercially available materials designed for safe use in the classroom.
  
  The student cuts or carves the surface so that some areas remain untouched while others are removed and recessed. Then an even coating of ink is distributed across the surface, usually with a roller called a brayer. A piece of paper is placed over the inked surface and pressure is applied with a mechanical press, or manually with the back of a wooden spoon. When the paper is peeled away from the surface, the ink has been transferred from the printing surface to the paper, which is called a print. The print is a reverse image of the printing block or plate.
  Visual Arts