The Lamp, 1890–91
Drypoint, soft-ground etching, and aquatint on paper, from two plates, 12 5/8 x 9 7/8 in. (32.1 x 25.1 cm) (plate)
Gift of Jan and Warren Adelson, Mr. and Mrs. N. Lee Griggs, Jr., B.A. 1951, Anthony M. Schulte, B.A. 1951, Mark Rudkin, B.A. 1951, and purchased with the Everett V. Meeks, B. A. 1901, and the Walter H. & Margaret Dwyer Clemens, B.A. 1951, Funds
2001.42.1
In 1890–91, inspired by an exhibition in Paris of Japanese woodcuts—then new to the West and a revelation—Cassatt made a group of ten color etchings, immediately establishing her fame as a printmaker. The Lamp is one of these. This particular impression of the etching is an early state, unknown until late in 2000, and probably unique. In Yale's collection it joins Cassatt's preparatory drawing for the print. The etching, printed from two plates, in black and colors in a close tonal range of russet-brown, violet-brown, and pink, is lively and fresh; the woman looks as though she is just about to speak. The partial coloration of the print—some areas still have no color at all—is evidence that it is a work in progress.
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