Mary CassattK I E C H E L F I N E A R T

In the OmnIbus belongs to the famous group of ten color print subjects

created by Mary Cassatt in Paris between 1890 and 1891. It is one of the most

visually pleasing, compositionally accomplished and, in certain respects,

distinct, examples in the series. At first glance, our attention is drawn to the

triangular group of figures formed by the endearing child in a voluminous

coat and bonnet bridging the laps of the elegantly dressed, contemplative

mother and the dutifully preoccupied nanny. Next, we noticed the broad

river and distant bridge through the row of windows directly behind the trio

of traveling companions. In the Omnibus is the only plate from this series in

which Cassatt decides to let her women and children step out of the hushed,

indoor settings in which they are typically involved with domestic activities

such as bathing, dressing, catching up on reading and correspondence, caring

for children, or offering tea to their friends. Her omnibus figures, by using

modern, public transportation, come across as far more adventurous, and point

to Cassatt’s artistic kinship with other mid-to late nineteenth century artists

working in France such as Daumier, Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec, each of

whom frequently showed an interest in chronicling contemporary, urban life.

An important feature of the works comprising Cassatt’s 1890-91 color

series is the fact that, like all prints, each example is unique. The lines

etched into the plates can wear down, different amounts of pressure can

be applied during printing and, as in the case of prints such as these which

include so much color, the exact hues and saturation levels of the carefully

applied inks will always vary. This particular impression of In the Omnibus

is beautifully balanced throughout, with the etched lines consistently

distinct and the colors wonderfully harmonious. It is an example of the

sixth step (otherwise known as “state”) in the artistic development of

this composition. By the seventh state, Cassatt and her master printer, M.

Leroy, were ready to print the final edition of 25 impressions. The sixth

state, offered here, is much rarer. To date, only one other impression

has been recorded. It is owned by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

In the OmnIbus ( FAC ING IM AGE)

WE ARE GRATE FuL To ANNE spINK ,

formerly vice president in the print

department of Christie’s New York,

then director of C.G. Boerner’s

New York gallery, and now an

independent consultant, for her

assistance with these prints.

(CoVER) mary Cassatt

The Banjo Lesson

ca. 1893, Drypoint, aquatint and monotype printed

in colors from two plates on blue, laid paper, fourth

(final) state, from an edition of 40 impressions

(only about 15 of which have been located)

11 9/16 x 9 3/8 inches,

Signed in pencil at lower right “Mary Cassatt”

CATALoGuE

Breeskin 156; Mathews/Shapiro 16

pRoVENANCE

Private collection, UK

Private collection, USA

(R IGHT ) mary Cassatt

In the Omnibus

ca. 1890-91, Drypoint and color aquatint

printed from three plates on laid paper,

the rare sixth state (of seven)

14 3/8 x 10 1/2 inches,

Initialed in pencil at lower left “M.C.”

CATALoGuE

Breeskin 145; Mathews/Shapiro 7

pRoVENANCE

Private collection, USA

One Of the mOst immediately striking features of this impression of The

Banjo Lesson is the blue paper on which it is printed. Cassatt occasionally used

this type of paper for her prints, however, it is more the exception than the rule.

To date, this is the only example of The Banjo Lesson that we have seen printed

on anything other than various cream or off-white papers. The seemingly

unfaded, light-blue paper adds to the precious mood of the scene and balances

beautifully with Cassatt’s choice of two blues plus a dusty rose as the image’s

primary colors. The drypoint lines all read extremely well in this impression,

and while they may lack a small degree of the richness found on examples

pulled from the copper plate one of two impressions earlier, this particular

print benefits from the fact that shadowy burr does not over emphasize the

parallel shading on the banjo, or the contours of the hands, or the tightly-

pulled hairdos. In other words, just as the blue paper harmonizes with the

colors of the women’s dresses, so too does the relative strength of the drypoint

lines work especially well in this impression.

The colorful inks used to print this sheet—partly via color aquatint and

partly via monotype techniques—are also worth consideration. The entry in

Mathews and Shapiro begins by comparing The Banjo Lesson with another

color print from the same time period, but goes on to say that here, “with only

four states and only one known preliminary sketch, Cassatt seems surer of

both the composition and the technical means of achieving it. For the first

time…Cassatt worked only with two plates instead of the usual three. The

use of heightening by monotype and a method of ‘stopping-out’ the aquatint

on the skirt that gives the impression of brushstrokes in the woman’s blue

dress indicate that Cassatt wanted to achieve a ‘painterly’ print.” Basically,

the black drypoint lines are done on one copper plate, and the colored areas

(both aquatint and monotype) are done on another copper plate. The aquatint

sections include the flesh areas, the older woman’s skirt and bodice, and

the rim of the banjo. All of the other colored sections are created using inks

brushed directly onto the copper plate for each unique impression. Mathews

and Shapiro write that “An oily ink is applied in a monotype manner to the

woman’s sleeves and child’s dress, as well as to details such as the woman’s

collar, to the polka dots scattered at random on her bodice and skirt, and, on

occasion, to the neck of the banjo.” We have seen at least one other impression

of this print in which the polka dots appeared to be highly organized rather

than randomly placed on the main figure’s dress, and where the neck of the

banjo was left uncolored. The end result was not nearly as pleasing as it is here.

Mathews and Shapiro state that although The Banjo Lesson is cited in early

record books as an edition of 40 impressions, at the time of their research they

were only able to locate 15 examples in either public or private collections.

the bAnJO LessOn (CoVER IM AGE)

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