The Fitting [verso]

Cassatt’s drawing continues her long‑standing interest in intimate domestic scenes, focusing on the private moments of women. While the exact narrative of the fitting is not specified, the composition reflects her concern with the everyday rituals that shape mother‑child relationships and the broader social roles of women in the period.

The artist employed transferred softground, a printmaking process in which a soft, tacky ground is pressed onto paper and then lifted, preserving the texture of the original drawing. This method yields subtle gradations of line and tone, aligning with Cassatt’s Impressionist sensibility for capturing fleeting light and atmosphere while maintaining a realist attention to form.

Created during Cassatt’s mature phase while she lived in France, the drawing entered the National Gallery of Art’s holdings through acquisition (date of purchase not specified). Its presence in a major U.S. institution reflects the artist’s transatlantic reputation and the continued scholarly interest in her contributions to modern art.

Cassatt was a close associate of Edgar Degas and regularly exhibited with the Impressionists, though she maintained a distinct focus on women’s private lives. *The Fitting* exemplifies her synthesis of Impressionist brushwork with a realist concern for everyday detail, situating the work within the broader dialogue between these two movements at the turn of the century.