095

  • The Manicure

  • ca. 1908
  • Mary Cassatt (American 1844-1926)
  • Drypoint
  • 20.8 x 14.7 cm., 8-1/8 x 5-3/4" image
  • Catherine Carter Goebel, Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts Purchase through Gift of the Reynold Emanuel and Johnnie Gause Leak Holmén Endowment for the Visual Arts, Paul A. Anderson Art History Collection, Augustana College 2001.27

Essay by Gayln Landem, Class of 2007 and Catherine Carter Goebel, Editor

The Manicure (1908) is a typical mother and child portrayal by Mary Cassatt. The purpose of such subjects, for which she was famous, is open to interpretation. In 1902, the Symbolist Camille Mauclair termed Cassatt a "painter of childhood," adding that "To paint an adult is to record a state of mind; to paint a child is to record the foreshadowing of a soul.Cassatt may be the only painter today to have given us an interpretation of childhood that is contained within the child itself" (Pollock 185-86).

The subject of The Manicure is enthralling. The mother and child interaction reflects the warmth of their relationship. Although Cassatt never married or had children of her own, she instinctively perceived the psychological bonding between mother and child. At a time when British Victorian subject matter was laden with saccharine sentimentality, Cassatt delved beneath the surface to create remarkable images that have truly stood the test of time.

Cassatt sensitively captured her models' outward appearance, as well as inner feelings, through subtle drypoint lines scratched on the copper plate. It is remarkable how the shading around the mother and child frame them, adding focus and tenderness to the composition. The manner in which the mother continues to work as the child's hand touches hers, reflects the subtle and tender feelings of blissful motherhood.

An interesting feature of this drypoint is the models' anonymity. Cassatt often used her own family and friends in such scenes. When she hired models, she preferred peasant women who were comfortable with handling their own children. There are many possible theories as to Cassatt's focus on the theme of mothers and children. Perhaps as a woman, she was more at home in the traditional domestic sphere and possibly, because she did not have children of her own, she longed for the emotional attachment that is shared only by a mother and her child. She was deeply rooted in her larger family and enjoyed painting her nieces and nephews. Impressionism was the "first avant-garde movement in the history of art in which women were significant members" (Slatkin 111), since artists like Edgar Degas (web gallery 98) recognized that Cassatt possessed "infinite talent" (Slatkin 109).